Sudan: Locals trained to report from dangerous war-torn region Nuba Mountains region in Sudan, where journalists are banned

Updated January 29, 2016 19:40:53

Photo: The team at Nuba Reports are determined to continue reporting on a war that is largely out of sight. (Supplied: Nuba Reports) ^[1]

A group in the Nuba Mountains in Sudan is training journalists to report on the region's otherwise undocumented war.

The Nuba Mountains lies north of the South Sudanese border, and has been under bombardment since 2011. Journalists are banned from entering.

The fighting started after locals and rebel groups were angered the area was left in Sudan in the referendum, despite most of the region's people having fought with the south.

Ryan Boyette is the founder of the Nuba Reports website^[2].

"We have people from the region reporting," he said.

"They've now received many trainings and we focus on video and photo journalism."

The team at Nuba Reports are determined to continue reporting on a war that is largely out of sight.

"If we were not here, no-one would know their story, no-one would know their issues, no-one would hear their voice, and these are the people that are being affected every day by what they Sudan Government is doing.

"These are the people being bombed every single day and villages burned down.

"This is why we're here to tell their stories."

Sudan has endured two civil wars, with the most recent lasting more than 20 years.

The Nuba Mountains was a frontline until a peace agreement was signed in 2005.

That fragile peace was followed by South Sudan separating from Sudan to form the world's youngest nation

But the local people in the Nuba Mountains felt they did not benefit from the agreement.

A series of decisions made by the Sudanese Government upset the population, and the region became engulfed by conflict.

"Since the conflict there's been over 400,000 displaced," Mr Boyette said.

"They've destroyed certain villages and people have fled into the mountains, are living in caves.

"Most of the people are farmers and they're still trying to farm despite the war but they farm in mountain areas that don't have fertile land, so they don't have enough food."

Little aid has got through to the area because the Sudanese Government has stopped humanitarian organisations from entering, so the people are largely left to fend for themselves.

Mr Boyette is trying to meet the crisis head on by telling stories from the region.

An example of his reporting came from his travels to South Sudan for supplies.

He saw a couple carrying a young child while driving home.

They frantically waved him down, so he stopped his car.

"I said I'm going north, I can't drive you, you're going south."

"[The man] looked at me with disappointment and I realised something was very wrong.

"I asked him, what's wrong? He said my child has died on the way."

The family was malnourished.

"They had been carrying the children for three days, walking to make it to the refugee camp, and on the last day the child had died of malnourishment.

"And the father was carrying the child.

"I said, OK, please get in the car. I can take you, so you can bury your child.

"The mother was so strong up until they got into the car.

"You could tell it was the first time she had sat down to rested for three days and she just started crying in my car."

Topics: journalism^[4], information-and-communication^[5], unrest-conflict-and-war^[6], sudan^[7]

First posted January 29, 2016 19:10:15

References

1. ^{^} Photo: The team at Nuba Reports are determined to continue reporting on a war that is largely out of sight. (Supplied: Nuba Reports) (www.bing.com)
2. ^{^} the Nuba Reports website (nubareports.org)
3. ^{^} Photo: More than 400,000 people have been displaced by conflict in Sudan. (UNMISS/Julio Brathwaite; file photo) (www.bing.com)
4. ^{^} journalism (www.bing.com)
5. ^{^} information-and-communication (www.bing.com)
6. ^{^} unrest-conflict-and-war (www.bing.com)
7. ^{^} sudan (www.bing.com)