Catholic believers in the Nuba Mountains have urged the international community to acknowledge their struggles and grant them self-determination.
The Nubian people from the Kordofan region were part of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army during the two-decade-long civil war led by Dr. John Garang de Mabior and other leaders, including President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
When the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in Naivasha, Kenya, in 2005, it was stipulated that South Sudan would hold its referendum first, followed by Abyei, Blue Nile, and Southern Kordofan. After South Sudan's referendum in 2010 and its subsequent independence in 2011, the fates of Abyei, Blue Nile, and Southern Kordofan remained unresolved.
Stephen Kubbitta, the Chairperson of Catholic Christians in the Nuba Mountains, questions in a statement shared with Informant Chronicles whether the international community is turning a blind eye to the human rights abuses they face.
“To the International Community, the United Nations and all who speak of human rights, where are you? Have we not bled enough? Have we not died quietly enough? Let South Sudan’s light of liberation shine into our mountains, until every voice is heard and every life valued, freedom is not yet ample,” Kubbitta asks.
He claims that his community is yearning for justice as South Sudan commemorates its independence, seeking the international community to allow them self-determination so that their children can grow up hearing school bells instead of the sounds of explosions.
“As the drums of freedom beat in South Sudan, echoing the joy of hard-won independence, we in the Nuba Mountains raise our voice not in celebrations but in a cry for justice,” he continued.
“We are your brothers and sisters, once shackled by the same oppressor yet while you broke free, we remain chained, forgotten and abandoned, our children grow up to the sound of bombs, not school bells, our hospitality lies in rubble and hope fades with every silent scream that goes unheard.”
Quest for self-determination
The Nuba Mountains, inhabited by the Nubians, are located in the southern part of Sudan, especially in the Southern and Western Kordofan states. This area covers 30,000 square miles and is positioned along the border of Sudan and South Sudan.
In 2010, a youth organization called "Youth for the Popular Consultation" staged demonstrations in Kadugli, the capital of Southern Kordofan, to voice their concerns regarding the delays and uncertainties surrounding their self-determination rights as stated in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
The group called for the removal of the National Congress Party governor of South Kordofan, pushing for an SPLM governor to take his place. They also demanded self-determination through popular consultation, urging the international community to assist in implementing the protocol for the referendum concerning South Kordofan and Blue Nile as laid out in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
The Nuba Mountains act as a stronghold for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Sudan. On June 5, 2011, tensions in Southern Kordofan heightened as a result of security-related conflicts between the Sudan Armed Forces and the SPLA-North, as reported by Human Rights Watch.
The violence was reportedly triggered by former governor Ahmed Haroun, who was wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes committed in Darfur.
Consequently, the Sudanese government banned the SPLM-North and arrested many of its members. The Sudan Armed Forces began attacks on civilians through indiscriminate airstrikes and shelling in densely populated regions, leading to civilian casualties.
Since that time, youth from the Nuba Mountains have taken up arms against the government in their quest for self-determination.
