People Ikotos County

eastern equatoria state – ikotos county in southwest

in 2002 sudan relief , rehabilitation association, humanitarian wing of sudan people s liberation movement, estimated population 67,340, including internally displaced persons. estimate of population of county in mid-2010 88,536 in 17,280 households, 90% engaged in agriculture. total cereal harvested area 14,774 hectares (36,510 acres).

the county s area home lango people, have total population of 25,000 – 30,000 people in ikotos , elsewhere, , speak dialects of lotuko language. lango tribe has 6 distinct sub-tribes — lokwa, dongotona, ketebo, logir, lorwama , imatong. lango keep cattle , cultivate millet, melons, sweet potatoes, beans, bananas, tobacco. dongotona live in dense settlements, cultivate sorghum, groundnuts, simsim, telebun, , sweet potatoes, , keep large herds of cattle, sheep , goats.

cattle play central role in social life, used in contracting marriages , performing rituals, , exchanged gifts. tribes have indulged in cattle raiding, particularly during dry season when grass short , cattle can moved faster. there have been conflicts between tribes, notably in kidepo valley, using traditional weapons of spears , sticks. in past, number of lives lost limited, , peace made through formal ceremonies.

the people of region live subsistence agriculture, growing sorghum , millet, , livestock raising. 90% of agricultural work undertaken women using hand tools. crops rain-fed, no irrigation, making them vulnerable reduced rainfall or drought in either of 2 growing seasons. fishing, natural resource exploitation, mining , trade practiced in small way. people live in extreme poverty no rights of land tenure, , chronic insecurity.

there no infrastructure , no legal framework make investment practical.