Nuba Muslims say that because they are black and not Arab, they have never been accepted by the north. The Nuba threw in with the rebels in 1985 and since then the government has enforced a strict blockade against the region. Even though the United Nations warned last month that the Nuba are threatened with starvation this year due to drought, the government in Khartoum will not allow aid deliveries. In the village of Mirawi that means things like salt, sugar, even clothing, are rare commodities. Running water is unheard of and metal of any kind is scarce.
Malnutrition is widespread and children's bellies are distended with hunger.
The women, who do most of the physical labor in Sudan, are hit the hardest. Kodi's words are born out as a convoy of rebel soldiers passes through the village. The Kalashnikov assault rifles the soldiers carry are the only modern machinery seen in the mountains these days. They also lug crude axes fashioned from salvaged scrap metal and dress in whatever scraps of clothing they can find. Just like everyone else, rebels must walk to get from place to place, sometimes covering 50 miles in a day.