Nadapal
| Nadapal | |
|---|---|
 Nadapal
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| Coordinates: 4°24′18″N 34°17′01″E / 4.405077°N 34.283739°ECoordinates: 4°24′18″N 34°17′01″E / 4.405077°N 34.283739°E | |
| Country | South Sudan |
| County | Kapoeta East County |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+2) |
Nadapal is a community in the south west of Kapoeta East County, South Sudan near the border with the Rift Valley province of Kenya. The Nadapal belt is an area stretching 25 kilometres (16 mi) southward from the border with South Sudan to Lokichogio in Kenya.
The village of Nadapal lies on the road between Narus in South Sudan and Lokichogio.
The area has been the scene of violent clashes between Toposa and Turkana pastoralists, traditional rivals.
It is becoming a vital border crossing as trade between Kenya and South Sudan booms following independence.
A June 2009 assessment of Nadapal by the UNHCR said 90% of the people in Nadapal were Toposa. The assessment correctly placed the village in the Narus payam of Eastern Equatoria State, Kenya. The mistake may be because the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) had a presence in the village, and the Toposa people mostly live north of the border. The village chief estimated the population was 3,500 including 300 returnees from the nearby Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Most of the people were IDPs from Jongole State. The majority of people were pastoralist.
The Nadapal belt includes valuable pasture and water points, and has always been an area of conflict between Turkana and Toposa herders. In normal times the Nadapal wetlands provide abundant pasturage and water for the herds of cattle, sheep and goats. The 2009 assessment found that available food included sorghum, maize, meat, sugar, oil, salt and rice, cooked using firewood collected by the women. Insufficient rain was causing food insecurity. The river was not running even in the rainy season. The village had three functioning boreholes providing fair quality potable water, which the women collected. Some families had latrines while others used the bushes. The nearest health services were in Narus, more than 3 hours away by foot, and Lokichogio, more than four hours away by foot.
By 2007, the village had one primary school with 428 pupils taught outdoors under trees by 11 teachers. The nearest secondary school was in Narus town, 25 kilometres (16 mi) away. School supplies were being provided by the Government of South Sudan's State Ministry of Education and UNICEF.Oxfam and the local organization Turkana Education For All helped improve facilities, and by 2009, enrollment at the primary school had increased to 1,425.
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