A southern Sudanese activist is pushing for the independence of the Nuba Mountains region during the current peace talks between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Kenya. According to the protocol agreed upon at the first round of talks in July, inhabitants of southern Sudan will be able to vote for independence in six years’ time. Father Philip Abbas Ghabbush argues that the Nuba people should have the same opportunity to vote for their own independence. Ghabbush noted that the region has its own distinct cultural identity, and that it should not be subsumed into either a northern state or a potential southern state. The Nuba have suffered major devastation during the 19-year civil war.
