From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zaghawa is an African ethnic group, mainly living in eastern Chad and western Sudan, including the Darfur province of Sudan. They are semi-nomadic and obtain much of their livelihood through herding cattle, camels and sheep, and harvesting wild grains. Several centuries ago, they converted to Islam though they still maintain some of their religious traditions. They have their own language, which is also called Zaghawa, and the breed of sheep that they herd is called Zaghawa. They, however, refer to themselves as the Beri, while the name Zaghawa was given to them by the nearby Arab peoples, and became more well-known. While they are not very powerful in Sudan, they politically dominate Chad. The current president, Idriss Déby and several former prime ministers of Chad are Zaghawa, as well as many other members of the government. The presidential's private army ("Garde Presidentielle") is also formed from Zaghawa. Several of the leaders of the Darfur armed movements, including Minni Arkoy Minawi (Sudan Liberation Army) and Khalil Ibrahim (Justice and Equality Movement) are Zaghawa.
