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LOKICHOKIO |
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It's possible, but by no means easy, to explore the region of
Turkana north of Ferguson's Gulf and Lodwar . A paved road (in bad
condition) turns left across the river outside town and goes up to
Lokitaung , branching left after about 60km for Lokichokio (Lokichoggio,
often called just Loki ) and the Sudanese border. Travel here is
strictly in convoy but even this does not guarantee safety: 1996 saw an
upsurge in shootings and armed banditry on this road, with several
fatalities, one just 7km from Lodwar. The current wisdom is that you
should get to where you're going before 3pm, as bandit attacks after
then are more likely. If you do get held up, give them what they want.
Clearly, travel here is not advisable. If you want go anyway, matatus
leave Lodwar early in the morning and foreign relief vehicles may also
consider giving you a lift. Alternatively, you might try approaching
airlines at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, from where there are daily NGO
flights to Lokichokio.
Loki itself, an unremittingly dry and rocky place with steel freight
containers lining the road, is even more of a cowboy town than Lodwar,
with an eclectic mix of rough international types, businessmen, tribal
Turkana, haggard relief workers, doctors, pilots, nurses, missionaries
and shady arms-dealers. And beer. Loki is the major UN aid centre for
southern Sudanese fleeing the civil war in Sudan (there's a big refugee
hospital), and the main supply centre for NGOs within Sudan, with
hundreds of personnel, Kenya's busiest airfield, and numerous bars for
tired and frustrated relief workers. Ironically enough, Loki is also the
centre for arms-running into Sudan: poke around some of the dukas , and
you'll find AK-47s, ammunition and even bombs openly for sale. There's
no accommodation for travellers, so you have to arrange matters with the
aid workers (which can be expensive). The refugee centre itself is at
Kakuma , 108km south of Loki on the Lodwar road.
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