Please note There has been a serious deterioration in security in South Sudan since these pages were compiled, and some of the practical information here will now be out of date. In particular, many areas are currently not safe to travel. You are advised to contact your embassy and local agents prior to travelling.
More famously known as Fashoda, this town is the perfect place to relive the events of the 19th century ‘Scramble for Africa’.
The capital of Shilluk County and, for more than 16 centuries, the independent Shilluk Kingdom, Kodok is more famously known as Fashoda and was the setting for the Fashoda Incident. According to Shilluk tradition, it is the place where the spirits of Juok (God), Nyikango (the founder of the Shilluk kingdom and their spiritual leader), deceased kings and the living king come to meditate and dispense spiritual healing. Kings and community elders come here to hear the sounds and speeches of Juok and to reflect upon them. It is a holy place and, for more than 500 years, was closed to the outside world so that ordinary people would not disturb its sacredness. The city came to international prominence in 1898 when French and British colonial powers almost came to blows over control of the territory, and though conflict was on this occasion averted, the term ‘Fashoda syndrome’ entered into French foreign policy.