Akol joined the SPLA in 1986 after having been a clandestine member since October 1983. In 1991 he joined
Riek Machar and
Gordon Kong to break from the SPLA and form the
SPLA-Nasir. Akol was dismissed by Machar in February 1994 and became chairman of one faction of SPLM/A-United following unity with senior SPLA commanders who were under detention by orders of
John Garang. He subsequently signed the Fashoda Peace Agreement with the government in 1997 and was appointed in March 1998 Sudan's Minister of Transportation, a post he held for four years. In 2002 Akol resigned from the ruling
National Congress (NCP), and became a key member of the newly-formed opposition
Justice Party. He, with most of his forces, rejoined the SPLA in October 2003. In 2005 Akol wrote a piece detailing his role as a negotiator on behalf of Garang in the initiation of
Operation Lifeline Sudan. In October 2007, the SPLM withdrew from the Khartoum government; it demanded, among other things, that Akol be removed from his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs, as he was accused of being too close to the regime. The Chairman of SPLM nominated him as Minister of Cabinet Affairs which was confirmed on 17 October by President
Omar al-Bashir, and appointed
Deng Alor, a leading SPLM member (member of the SPLM political bureau) who had previously been the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, to replace Akol as Foreign Minister. ==NDM and SSOA Coalition==