The Vice President for the Infrastructure Cluster, Taban Deng, has accused the Kenyan government and other East African countries over what he described as attempts to claim South Sudan’s Ilemi Triangle territory.
Deng, who spoke at the closing session of the Global Logistics and Trade Convention in Juba on Thursday, warned against claims over disputed border areas and called on neighboring countries to respect South Sudan’s territorial integrity.
“What does the Kenyan get to our tail? This Ilemi Triangle should be seen always a place of discussion. It’s not part of Kenya. It is South Sudan land. Now, the Kenyans are almost agreeing on taking Ilemi,” Deng said.
He recalled an episode during former Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi’s administration, alleging that Moi had moved to include the Ilemi Triangle on Kenya’s map.
“But once I remember I was by chance in Nairobi, when the Kenyans were fighting for, for democracy. I remember one evening, one midday, late President Arap Moi decided to change the map of Kenya to include Ilemi Triangle,” he added.
The status of the Ilemi Triangle has previously triggered debate among South Sudan’s top leaders.
During the 7th Governors’ Forum in November 2023, First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar said the territory was part of South Sudan and proposed establishing an administration there, with unified forces and police deployed once the security arrangements were implemented.
“Ilemi Triangle is South Sudan. There are three lines that the British took from the original first line: South Sudan. There were other two lines made to grant Turkana grazing rights, but South Sudan was in them,” Machar noted.
However, former Minister of Information Michael Makuei took a more cautious position, describing Ilemi as a disputed territory and arguing that South Sudan should first address its internal instability before pursuing outstanding border claims.
“Ilemi is a disputed area. Yes, in the first place, it was ours, but now it is not ours; it is a disputed area,” he stressed.
He argued that disputes with neighboring countries should not take priority while South Sudan is still dealing with its internal problems.
Deng, nevertheless, maintained that Kenya was increasingly treating the Ilemi Triangle as its own territory and expressed concern over how the area is represented on regional maps.
“Because I’ve seen now almost, almost all the Kenyans are agreeing that Ilemi is a part of Kenya,” he noted.
He stressed that the issue had remained unresolved for too long and urged regional bodies and neighboring countries to clearly identify Ilemi as a disputed area rather than depicting it as Kenyan territory.
The Ilemi Triangle is a disputed area in the far southeast of South Sudan, bordering Kenya and Ethiopia.
Kenya has exercised de facto control over much of the territory for decades, while South Sudan maintains a claim to the area inherited from Sudan following independence in 2011.
The dispute has been complicated by colonial-era boundary arrangements and the historical movement of pastoral communities across the area.
In February 2023, clashes between South Sudanese Toposa and Kenyan Turkana communities were reported near the Nadapal border crossing in the disputed territory.
The Vice President further called for the disputed status of Ilemi to be clearly reflected whenever regional maps are presented, rather than showing the territory as part of Kenya.
“I think the borders have been discussed. So, when you bring a map that combines us with the East African, there’s a place of, of discussion. Please, mark that one as a place of discussion. Don’t take it, don’t take it to yourself,” he emphasized.
