Greater Kapoeta is the name given to the eastern half of the erstwhile

Eastern Equatoria Eastern Equatoria is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of 73,472 km². The capital is Torit. On October 1, 1972, the state was divided into Imatong and Namorunyang states and was re-established by a peace agreement signed on 22 Febru ...

State in

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

, at one time an administrative region with headquarters in the town of

Kapoeta Kapoeta is a town in South Sudan. It is located in Kapoeta South County, in Eastern Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria State, in southeastern South Sudan. Location The town lies on the east bank of the Singaita River. The post at Kapoeta was establi ...

. Greater Kapoeta was divided between Kapoeta County and

Budi County Budi County is an administrative area of Eastern Equatoria state in South Sudan, with headquarters in Chukudum. Location Budi county is derived from two ethnic groups who inhabit the area (Buya and Didinga). It is located in Eastern Equatoria Sta ...

, named after the Buya and

Didinga The Didinga (diDinga) are a Surmic ethnic group that occupy the Didinga Mountains region in Budi County, Eastern Equatoria State in South Sudan. They live in the valleys, on the plateaus and slopes, and on the adjacent plains of the region. Their n ...

(BU-DI) people. Kapoeta County was later split into Kapoeta North,

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

and

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

counties.

People

The region is home to the three pastoralist communities of Buya, Diding'a and Toposa people, who have a history of feuding and cattle raiding. In an attempt to eliminate further conflict, a peace conference was held in September 2009 in the

Lauro Lauro is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. It is located in lower Irpinia, in a woody valley. Sights include the remains of a 1st-century BC Roman ''thermae In ancient Rome, (fro ...

payam in Budi County. The meeting was organized by the Southern Sudan Peace Commission, chaired by Brigadier General

Louis Lobong Lojore Louis Lobong Lojore is a South Sudanese Politician and a military governor in the rank of brigadier general in the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the current governor of Eastern Equatoria State in South Sudan. He was the governor o ...

. Demarcation of traditional boundaries between the communities was seen as an essential step, to be undertaken by the government. The communities also agreed to revive joint peace centres such as Miji, Ngauro, Kamulach, Kaliba,

Namorunyang Namorunyang is a village and ''Payam'' of Kapoeta South County in Namorunyang State, South Sudan. There has been a long history of conflict between the Toposa of Namorunyang and Bunio and the Didinga of Budi County. The Toposa are purely pastora ...

, Nawoyapaka and Lochorkanyatom.

Economy

The region has poor communications. A herder in a location such as Mogos in the semi-arid Kapeota East may have to walk for three days to the nearest market in

town to sell his cattle, with no guarantee of getting an acceptable price. The Greater Kapoeta Cooperative Development Agency was set up in the late 2000s to assist with marketing. In the run-up to the 2011 referendum on secession of South Sudan from

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, staff had difficulty due to the long distances between centers, shortages of food and water, and problems getting people to register since they were busy with the harvest. Following two years with poor rainfall, an April 2011 report by the Government of South Sudan stated that parts of Greater Kapoeta were in an acute food and livelihood crisis, with some risk of a humanitarian crisis if there was no improvement in the situation. Insecurity in Greater Kapoeta had made it difficult for herders to access markets for essential supplies, and to sell livestock so they could acquire cereals. Livestock were also suffering from outbreaks of disease, compounding the problem.

References

{{reflist Eastern Equatoria