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This article examines the complexity of demarcating the Kenya-Sudan-Ethiopia tri-junctional point known as the Ilemi Triangle. By analysing why, until recently, the Ilemi has been ‘unwanted’ and hence not economically developed by any regional government, the article aims to historically elucidate differences of perception and significance of the area between the authorities and the local herders. This article places the disputed ‘triangle’ of conflict into historical, anthropological, sociological and political context.The article concludes by assessing the future of the dispute in view of the current initiative by the USA to end the 19-year-old civil war in Sudan and promote the country’s relationship with her neighbours particularly Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia. However, the author is cynical of attempts to enhance international security and political stability that do not embrace ‘peoples of the periphery’, such as the herders of Ilemi, into the economic, social, and political rhythm of the mainstream society.
