Travel Guide Region Des Monts Nuba جبال النوبه

In the centre of the Sudan, the Nuba Mountains region is the one that represents the country. It is bordered by the Nile to the east and to the south, with its tributary of Bahr al-' Arab to the North-South border. In the west and north, these are the semi-arid plains in Grand Kordofan. The Nuba Mountains are the few landforms in northern Sudan. They host the Nuba people, a cultural and religious mosaic of about fifty tribes who have long fascinated ethnologists, to the image of Sudan as a whole. A horse between Arab and African worlds, the Nuba Mountains are also a disputed area between Caucasian and southern (see box in "A see/to do"). The war ravaged the region for several years. While North Kordofan is undoubtedly close to Khartoum, South Kordofan, a State that houses the Nuba Mountains, is partly linked to the southern states by its culture.In history, the Nuba (name etymologically cousin of "Nubian") defended themselves against slave traders and enemies of all kinds (Dinka and Nuer in the south) thanks to the protection offered by their mountains. Their diversity came from the fact that their ancestors, from different backgrounds, had fled to that region. Until the th century, they managed to preserve broad political and cultural autonomy. In the north-east of the mountains, the small kingdom of Tegali stood in the sultanate of both Sennar and Darfur for several centuries, before being submitted by mahdistes at the end of the nineteenth century. Even in the th century, the English left the Nuba to develop an autonomous administration. In fact, local potentates will hold much of their powers until the "nationalization" of the administration on the ground in the 1970 s, and the pressure exerted by Khartoum to impose itself in this strategic region, at the gates of the rebel South.As far as Sudan's independence is concerned, the situation in the Nuba Mountains region is détériora. Khartoum first tried to develop Kordofan by instituting intensive agriculture that was not respectful of the traditions of local peoples. In the 1980 s, the religious colouring of the khartoumais was a violation of the Nuba, which, although partially Muslim, rapprochèrent more candidly from the southern rebellion. Some of them joined the ranks of SPLA, while others were forcibly displaced by the army to camps and combated by Baggara armed tribes (the Baggara are the traditionally rival tribes of the Nuba). In the early 1990 s, Khartoum began a real blockade of the region and thousands of Nuba were massacred to contain the influence of SPLA in the north. These atrocities have been very little by the press abroad. They were, however, described as "genocide" by several international ngos.Since 2005 and the signing of the CPA, the Nuba Mountains are part of the Transitional Zones and it is expected that the opinion of the people will be taken into account in the future. However, underdevelopment is clear and, in April 2010, the elections could not even be held. Firstly because of the large number of Nuba across the country which had not been included in the census, and then simply from a logistical point of view, it was impossible to organise the vote. National consciousness is weak in this region and Khartoum is not interested in it. The SPLM is on land that supports it, but its efforts focus little on a region that no longer represents such an important issue as during the war.From a tourist point of view, the Nuba could be in Sudan what the Masaïs in Kenya are, if the stability of the region so permits. More green than the surrounding plain, the mountainous region (it is rather high hills) is still covered with straw and mud villages. It is impractical given the high poverty of transport infrastructures, but the arrival of bitumen in Dilling and Kadugli has allowed at least to get closer to it before it can go to adventure.Please note that travel permits are mandatory and must strictly mention your journey, as well as the places where you want to go. Foreign or humanitarian ministries are the most able to issue permits to visit the mountains. Kadugli and Dilling are now accessible with a pass issued to the Tourism Office in Khartoum. But, again, don't hold all of this for definitive.