The two governors of the Turkana District of northern Kenya and Eastern Equatoria of South Sudan met on Wednesday and reportedly agreed to settle peacefully a border dispute between the two countries.
Tensions between the Turkana and Toposa tribes between South Sudan and Kenya developed recently when Kenyan authorities allegedly constructed a wire fence that blocked Toposa nomads from entering Kenyan land for grazing.
Mark Okienbul, Eastern Equatoria Minister of Information, told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that the two governors met at the border and agreed to facilitate dialogue between the two communities of Turkana and Toposa at the border of the two countries.
The minister said that the two delegations agreed to leave the question of the actual border demarcation to the national authorities. Mark said the two delegations agreed to direct the two commissioners of Turkana and Kapoeta East to meet and agree on how to cooperate in order to allow pastoralists of Toposa tribe into Turkana grazing land.
Asked whether there were any military troops present in the border area, Mark denied saying, “We went with the governor up to the checkpoint where the fence wire was erected and could not find any forces either of Kenya or SPLA soldiers there.”
He claimed that there were no deaths reported since the tension started but noted that the Toposa tribe are not happy about the fence.
Map: Turkana District of Kenya