South Sudan and Kenya agree to open borders for pastoralists

Authorities of South Sudan’s Kapoeta State and their Kenyan counterparts from Turkana County agreed to open borders and enhance peaceful coexistence among the neighboring communities, a local official has said.

Kapoeta State Information Minister Joseph Kabaka told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that the resolution was arrived at at a meeting in Kenya's Lokichoggio town in Turkana County in late December between leaders of the two communities separated by a common border. He added that the meeting came in the backdrop of increased insecurity in the border region.

The local official said the governors of Kapoeta State and Turkana County agreed to identify the routes, assess the number of victims, and form a joint security committee to secure the region.

Another committee comprising local chiefs and religious leaders will be formed to facilitate dialogue and reconciliation between the rival communities, he added.

The Toposa communities of South Sudan's Kapoeta State and the Turkana in neighboring Kenya have been involved in a protracted conflict caused by cattle raids and disputes over water sources.