Zaghawa people

Quick Facts: Who was Zaghawa people?

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Zaghawa people

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Pastoralist ethnic group inhabiting Libya, Chad, and Sudan, known for herding livestock.

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Origins & Early Life

The Zaghawa people, also called Beri or Zakhawa, are an ethnic group inhabiting Libya, northeastern Chad, and western Sudan, including Darfur. Zaghawas speak the Zaghawa language, which is an eastern Saharan language. They are pastoralists, and a breed of sheep that they herd is called Zaghawa by the Arabs.

Career & Major Achievements

They are nomadic and obtain much of their livelihood through herding cattle, camels and sheep and harvesting wild grains. It has been estimated that there are 384,150 people who belong to the Zaghawa ethnicity. The royal history of the Kanem–Bornu Empire, the Girgam, refers to the Zaghawa people as the Duguwa.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Today, Zaghawa refer to themselves as the Beri, while Arabic speakers and literature refer to them as "Zaghawa". In literature related to African ethnic groups, the term Beri (sometimes Kegi) includes Zaghawas, Bideyat, tubu peoples, each clustered in different parts of Chad, Sudan and Libya. The earliest recorded mention of the Zaghawa comes from the 9th century Arab geographer al-Ya'qubi, who wrote of them as the “Zaghawa who live in a place called Kanem”, and proceeded to list a string of other kingdoms under Zaghawa rule.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Zaghawa people

True or False: “True or False: The Zaghawa people are primarily settled agriculturalists whose livelihood depends solely on rain-fed crops.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): False. The Zaghawa are fundamentally pastoralists, obtaining much of their livelihood through herding cattle, camels, and sheep, supplemented by wild grains.

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