Central Darfur — Map & Overview

One of the eighteen federal states in Sudan, Central Darfur State (Wilayat Wasat Darfur), lies in the southwest of the country in the traditional region of Darfur. Formed in January 2012 out of West and South Darfur, it is the primary rural capital of Zalingei and hosts a wide range of farming and pastoralist populations. The sceneries of the state vary between the fertile and volcanic highland of Jebel Marra to semi-arid plains, with Chad and the Central African Republic as its neighbours.

History

The history of Central Darfur has no possibility to isolated and losing its connection with the history of the Darfur region, which has thousands of inhabitants. Archaeological findings and folk history indicate a civilisation of ancient kingdoms (the Daju, Tunjur), many years before the Fur Sultanate. The Daju, who historical tradition associates with the prehistoric Meroitic civilisation of the Nile Valley, took their seat of power on the fertile highlands of the Jebel Marra. The fifteenth century saw the coming of Tunjur, credited with having further propagated Islam into the land as well as introducing some new forms of administration.

By the early seventeenth century, the Keira dynasty of the Fur people had also established the Sultanate of Darfur. This Islamic state became a significant political and economic entity and dominated important trade pathways which linked the Nile Valley to West Africa. Goods, including salt, textiles, and slaves, were transported through the Sahara via caravans and the sultanate was associated with wealth and cultural sophistication.

Even when other areas of the neighbourhood came under the Ottoman or European influence, the Fur rulers preserved some level of independence. This autonomy was to be terminated in 1874, with the Khedivate of Egypt (the Khedivate itself being under Ottoman suzerainty) defeating Darfur. The territory was periodically returned to local government under Sultan Ali Dinar in the late nineteenth century, but in 1916, when World War I occurred, the Anglo-Egyptian state annexed Darfur to Sudan. This was the start of several years of economic and political sidelining.

Upon attainment of independence in 1956, the region of Darfur continued to remain marginal to national development plans even after Sudan became independent. The Nile Valley received most of the resources of the central government in Khartoum, thus Darfur was virtually left with little infrastructure, substandard access to education and healthcare and scarce economic opportunities. Shortages in food supplies, such as drought and desertification that occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, also contributed to straining the relationship between the sedentary agriculture communities (Indians, especially the Fur and Masalit peoples) and the nomadic pastoralist communities (some of Arab origin).

The application of all these tensions resulted in a full-scale war in 2003 after rebel groups accused the government of Sudan of neglect and discrimination. The counter-insurgency effort by the government, which was largely dependent on the Janjaweed militias, resulted in mass atrocities, mass displacement and international condemnation. The Darfur war was one of the most topical humanitarian issues in the world, and the United Nations, as well as the African Union, and many aid organisations were engaged.

While continuing peace talks in January 2012, President Omar al-Bashir announced the formation of two new states in Darfur, one of which is Central Darfur. It was hoped that smaller units of administration would permit governance that was more responsive and more local in representation. But the new state was born in an atmosphere of further instability. The Jebel Marra region, partially in Central Darfur, continued to be under the control of the Sudan Liberation Army- Abdel Wahid (SLA/AW) groups and violence between the government and the rebels and communities, as well as communities themselves, continued. After taking control of Zalingei in August of 2023, with the ongoing civil war in Sudan, the RSF stated that they had taken full control of Central Darfur. This was a huge transition in the political story of the state and highlighted how frailty peace in the area was.

Culture

The culture of Central Darfur is as rich as its landforms, stamped by the culture of all the numerous ethnic nationalities dwelling there. The largest group in the state is the Fur people, and this name is the source of the very word Dinafar-Dufar, as the land of the Fur. Until recently, they were the main farmers growing millet, sorghum, and vegetables in the fertile highlands of Jebel Marra. Another tribe of concern, the Zaghawa, is a nomadic pastoral group of traditional Zaghawas who rear camels and animals over the semi-arid Zaghawan plains. Masalit are primarily farmers and aped merchants based mostly in western Darfur, though lesser peoples such as the Daju and Tama bring their own traditions and histories.

These communities have centuries of trade, intermarriage and common involvement in markets and festivals. Life in the culture is full of music, dancing, and storytelling. Musical instruments used during traditional songs at weddings, harvest and religious festivals include the tambour, a kind of drum and hajouj, a stringed instrument. Storytelling is also an important tool of history and morality because the elders tell folktales, which assimilate existing historical facts with myths.

Another significant concept of the cultural expression is artisanal crafts. In particular to women have the talents of weaving baskets and mats out of local grasses, and of making pottery ornamented with geometrical designs. Such designs are usually symbolic and are said to bring a lot of luck or keep them off the path of evil.

Food eaten in central Darfur is a blend of the agrarian society of the highlands and the pastoral savannah culture. Examples of staple foods are kisra, a fermented dish made of sorghum in the form of a flatbread, and asida, which is a porridge prepared of either sorghum or millet, and often served alongside stews of okra, beans or meat. Hospitality is a long-standing virtue, and people tend to fulfil their social connections by sharing meals. Another social ritual, roasted, ground and brewed coffee ceremonies before the guests, ensures hours of socialising.

Language

Central Darfur is ethnically diverse. Fur language belongs to the Nilo-Saharan family and is widely spoken across the central highlands, but it is one of the primary identifiers of the Fur people. The lingua franca is Sudanese Arabic, though it is used in administration, education and trade, and people of all ethnic backgrounds speak Sudanese Arabic. Zaghawa (Saharan branch of the Nilo-Saharan family) is the language of the northern regions of Darfur and the neighbouring Chad.

Multilingualism is widespread, and most of the inhabitants usually use their Northern language at home, Arabic in their daily activities, and occasionally regional languages. It is through oral tradition that much of linguistic heritage is maintained, and these include poetry, proverbs and songs that have been handed down across generations.

Geography

The Jebel Marra massif volcanic highland that covers the centre of the state, characterises Central Darfur. Topping at 3,088 m at Mount Marra, it is the highest in Sudan, as well as a climatic and ecological outlier of an otherwise dry area. The volcanic soils of the massif are very fertile, and intensive farming with terracing produces millet, sorghum, potatoes, onions, citrus fruits, and coffee. The highlands also contain endemic plants and rare birds, along with exotic flora and fauna.

Jebel Marra is a central agricultural region and a key watershed, as well. Its slopes drain many of the seasonal rivers, or wadis, that flow out into the surrounding plains. During the rainy season of June to September, these wadis, like the Wadi Azum, fill up the wells and provide water to the otherwise dry areas to aid cultivation. The rainfall in the highlands can be as high as 1,000 millimetres per annum, forming rich valleys, waterfalls and crater lakes such as the famous Deriba Crater, which now has two lakes in its caldera that cover the volcano in the past.

Central Darfur has an extreme climate between the rainy and dry seasons. June-September: The rainy season is short but critical and determines the pastoralist movement and agricultural calendar. The highlands are relatively cool, but the dry season, October through May, is hot, dusty, stormy, and there is a lack of water in the lowlands. Central Darfur is also not merely an area of environmental importance. As a water tower, the Jebel Marra supports many aspects of the Darfur human and ecological systems, as well as the water. But centuries of war have broken the old forms of land management, causing deforestation, overgrazing and soil erosion in some regions.

In Central Darfur, biodiversity is found in the highlands, where temperatures are cooler and higher rainfall forms the habitats of species not present in the neighbouring plains. They comprise montane forests, grasslands and wetlands which are home to migratory birds, small mammals, and reptiles. The conservation value of the Jebel Marra has resulted in some conservationists proposing that it be so designated as a conservation area, despite situations of insecurity which have complicated systematic conservation.

FAQs