The Secretary General of the Student Union, Tigani El Tahir Ismail told the Khartoum Monitor recently that the Nuba people are entitled to this international human right because the Nuba region was administered as a closed district along the South Sudan and Blue Nile regions in 1922 by the British.

Ismail said that the Nuba people strongly reject the inclusion of the Nuba Mountain to Northern Sudan during the six years transitional period. "We the students and graduates of the Nuba Mountain from various universities and other higher institutions of learning in the country strongly reject any effort to join the Nuba Mountain area to the Northern Sudan."

The Secretary General explained that most of the problems that led them to take up arms remain unresolved which would make the Nuba Mountain a timed bomb against peace. Ismail added that the mistrust between the Nuba Mountain people and the Northern Sudan is still great and all internal political indicators show that there will be a friction between the North and the Nuba. He stressed that during the interim period, the Nuba Mountain should be part of the South Sudan under the SPLM administration to give equal opportunities for economic development of the marginalized areas. But the Nuba Mountain should receive greater autonomy .

Ismail noted that the last option for the Nuba people would be to place their Mountain region under international protection during the interim period after that they should be allowed to exercise the right of self-determination. Ismail warned that if the current talks failed and the Nuba Mountain is arbitrarily annexed to Northern Sudan, then the war would resume and continue until the Nuba people get their inalienable right.