Kenya responds to South Sudan border violation complaint

Kenya has denied claims that it has encroached South Sudan’s territory arguing that it respects the boundaries of its neighbours.

This comes after it emerged that South Sudan had summoned Kenya’s envoy to Juba Samuel Nandwa to protest an alleged encroachment on its territory.

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua on Thursday told the Nation that Juba had not officially raised the matter with Nairobi hence there was scanty information on the alleged encroachment.

“South Sudan has not communicated to us officially on the matter, therefore, I cannot comment on the issue sufficiently,” said Dr Mutua.

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said his country had not encroached on the territory of South Sudan, noting that boundary delimitation is currently ongoing under the African Union.

Territorial integrity

“Kenya respects the territorial integrity of all her neighbours and has not encroached on any of their territories. A boundary delimitation process of all borders under the AU is ongoing and is being conducted consultatively and jointly with our neighbours,” said Dr Sing’oei.

He added: “Our Kenya National Boundaries Office (Kenao is in charge of this process,” he added.

Juba says Kenya has “illegally” taken 42 points of its borderline at Nadapal, a settlement on a key crossing point and trade route between the two countries.

South Sudan’s Deputy Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister, Deng Dau Deng, said Kenya and Uganda are claiming part of the South Sudan borderline, pointing out that Juba will not cede an inch of the territory.

Mr Deng had said that Juba has reported Kenya and Uganda to the African Union over the alleged border encroachment, in a row that could unsettle the East Africa Community trading bloc if it escalates.

Maritime border row

The border dispute with South Sudan comes at a time Kenya is at loggerheads with Somalia over a maritime border in a part of the Indian Ocean believed to be rich in oil and gas.

Kenya in 2021 rejected the ruling of a top UN court that decided mostly in favour of Somalia in the maritime row.

Somalia, which welcomed the ruling, filed the case in 2014 at the UN’s highest court dealing with disputes between states.

The two countries, however, have a portion of their border largely undetermined at the Ilemii (also called Elemi Triangle, a sparsely populated area of about 14,000 square kilometres.

Ilemi is on the fringe of southern South Sudan, which is believed to be rich in oil, and to the north of Turkana, a Kenyan county where Tullow Oil discovered oil in 2012.

The triangle consists of Kibish, Lokitaung, Naita, Karebur, Kokuro, Kaikor, Magila, Lorau and Loruth Esekon regions.