Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Regional leaders from Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and Ethiopia have officially launched the Ateker Leaders Council, a platform aimed at promoting border peace, unity, and development across Ateker communities.
The council will focus on improving infrastructure, healthcare, education, and trade, creating opportunities for collaboration and shared prosperity across the region.
The launch on Friday brought together Eastern Equatoria Governor Louis Lobong Lojore, John Munyes, Special Envoy to the President of Kenya on Ateker Affairs, and Peter Lokeris, Uganda’s Minister for Karamoja Affairs. The initiative connects bordering communities, including the Taposa in South Sudan, Karamojong in Uganda, and Turkana in Kenya.
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs, Beatrice Asukul Moe, described the council as a milestone for regional stability and development.
“We are looking at an infrastructure that we need our togetherness and this common language to embrace. For example, there are roads connecting the region in the name of integration. There is this Kenyan road from passing through Turkana to Juba. Along the way, it has stopped simply because maybe there is a political bit of it that is interfering,” she said.
“But now such kind of convergence will make us make sure now that road works because somebody from South Sudan can comfortably transport his goods to Kenya. The one from Kenya would equally do the same. You get the border between us and Uganda for example, our people are moving freely.
“For South Sudan, this initiative means that people can move freely across borders, roads can connect our communities, and goods can flow easily to Kenya and Uganda. Schools, health facilities, and livestock markets will open opportunities that improve lives and livelihoods,” CS Moe said.
She added that the platform will help pastoralist communities preserve their traditional ways of life while benefiting from modern development.
“Our language is our best, best, best entry point. Because you saw, we were not even… I mean English was just somehow a discomfort. We were almost starting to communicate in our own mother tongue, ” she said
“We are exploring the mother tongue, uniqueness within us to communicate one development, one way forward, one community as we integrate each other. So this is something we need all to embrace. Because we need to make progress.
The Ateker Leaders Council is expected to foster collaboration, reduce conflicts, and improve the quality of life for communities along the borders of the four countries, marking a significant step toward regional peace and holistic development.
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