Colonial era Ikotos County

sir samuel baker in hunting attire trophies of rhino , buffalo.

little known of lango country before arrival of europeans. explorer samuel baker first european visit region, travelling in northwest , west of area in 1863. visiting tarrangolle (tirangore) , observed unnamed mountains south. later passed through these mountains, western acholi range of imatongs. baker formally annexed region around upper nile khedive of egypt in 1871. in 1878 emin pasha appointed bey of equatoria, nominally under egyptian control, base @ lado. in 1881, emin pasha made trip gondokoro on nile tirangore, , there travelled south along eastern side of imatong mountains along valley of koss river, past village of ikotos , southwest nile. emin pasha cut off egypt revolt of muhammad ahmad in northern sudan, began in 1881, , in 1885 withdrew south.

eduard schnitzer aka emin pasha, first european ruler of ikotos

chief lomoro xujang ruler of lotuko of tirrangore 1892, , extended authority on lotuko people , neighbors. cooperated ugandan government, sent colonel (later major general) j.r.l. macdonald on patrol country, , later set post @ ikotos. xujang aroused opposition dictatorial ways, , assassinated in 1912. following defeat of muhammad ahmad in 1898, region came under british protectorate of uganda in 1899. in 1914 transferred anglo-egyptian sudan.

the first rough topographical map published in 1917 h. pellew-wright, district commissioner of uganda crossed imatong mountains northeast southwest, official map of anglo-egyptian sudan in 1922 showed outlines of imatong mountains in heart of present-day ikotos county. in 1929 botanist thomas ford chipp, deputy director of royal botanic gardens @ kew, reached peak of kinyeti. same year published report on flora several photographs. first detailed map appeared in 1931. region remained isolated , underdeveloped.

sudan became independent in 1956, year earlier civil disturbances had broken out in southern regions did not want come under control of arab-dominated government in khartoum.