Nuba Mountains

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Nuba Mountains

The Nuba Mountains are a mountain range in Kordofan, a province in central Sudan, Africa. The mountains cover an area roughly 40 miles wide by 90 miles long, and are 1500 to 3000 feet higher in elevation than the surrounding plain. It is arid there, but lush and green compared with most nearby areas. There are almost no roads in the Nuba Mountains; most villages there are only accessible by ancient paths that aren't navigable by motor vehicles. The rainy season extends from mid-May to mid-October, and annual rainfall ranges from 400 to 800 millimeters, allowing grazing and seasonal rain-fed agriculture.

The Nuba Mountains are inhabited by both indigenous Nuba people and many other ethnic groups such as Arabs (mostly Baggara), Bargu, Barnu, Fellata, the last three groups migrated from western Sudan to the region. The Nuba people are collectively called Nuba, although they are members of several different ethnic and linguistic groups. About 23% of the population are Baggara (cattle herders), largely consisting of Hawazma, Messiria, Awlad Himayd, Kinana and others Arabs groups. There is also a small number of Arab traders, called Jellaba. Historically the area was home to the Taqali state. See also nafir.

In March of 2002, an agreement between the Government of Sudan (GOS) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) followed by a cease fire allowed humanitarian relief into the Nuba. Initially deployed at the Joint Military Commission (JMC) headed by a Norwegian officer, the team began the process of laying the groundwork which eventually resulted in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in Southern Sudan. The CPA remains a fragile agreement in particular because of the conflict in Darfur and tension in the south.