John Aurelious, the acting secretary general of the United Democratic Front Party, said party leader Peter Abdurrahman Sule remains missing and they hope he will return soon.

The opposition leader Sule has been missing since July 2015 after he had fled to Uganda for fear of his life.

"Peter Sule until now his passport is not with him, he went from this country running, because his life was in danger. When he left he went from here to Uganda and he use to call us that I am ok no problem. He used to direct the party," Aurelious said, speaking to Bakhita Radio's morning programme.

Aurelious said that it was only reported in the media that Sule was killed but when they reached out to his family they said they had no information that he had been killed.

The acting secretary general said they cannot hold a funeral for someone who is missing but not confirmed dead.

"We are like you waiting, hoping he is in a certain place, because he was being chased from here during the period of conflict," he said.

"He wanted to go to Addis Ababa during the peace negotiations but he was removed from the plane. He was being disturbed. Then he went to Uganda, and from there we do not know his place until now," Aurelious said. "But we need to wait, maybe something will happen. He will emerge one day. Maybe he is hiding in another place because there are conditions and fear."

Separately, Aurelious denied that the UDF party is divided into several factions saying that only a few people have left the organization.