Kidepo Game Reserve | |
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IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)[1] | |
Location | Ikotos and Budi counties, Eastern Equatoria, South Sudan |
Coordinates | 4°11′N 33°29′E / 4.183°N 33.483°E |
Area | 1,200.0 square kilometres (120,000 ha) |
Designation | Game Reserve |
Designated | 1975 |
Governing body | South Sudan National Wildlife Service (SSWS) |
The Kidepo Game Reserve is a protected area located in Ikotos and Budi counties, Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan, Africa. With an area of 1200 km2,[1] this reserve is located 4° 04'N and 33° 28'E on the South Sudan/Uganda border, where it forms a contiguous ecosystem with Uganda's Kidepo Valley National Park.
Three quarters of the Kidepo Game Reserve is in Bira Payam of Ikotos County and also part of Budi County, which is inhabited by the Ketebo, Didinga and Buya and the word "Kidepo" come from the Ketebo word "Kidebo", which mean "Help us". Sudan deployed some game rangers in Bira from 1976 to 1983, until civil war broke out in 1983.