Fur people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fur (fòòrà in Fur, فور in Arabic) are a people of the western Sudan, numbering about 0.5 million in 1983[1] and principally inhabiting the region of Darfur. They are a black African people who practice a largely sedentary lifestyle, relying mainly on the cultivation of millet. Their society is a highly traditional one governed by village elders. They speak Fur, a Nilo-Saharan language, and are Muslims, having adopted the religion following the region's conquest by the Kanem-Bornu Empire during the Middle Ages. Some of them have come to speak Arabic in recent years.
The traditional heartland of the Fur is the mountainous region around Jebel Sî and Jebel Marra Wadi Salih and Zaligi; today, however, most of them live in the lower country west and southwest of that area, between 11-14 N and 23-26 E. A few Fur live across the border in Chad.
The Furs' lifestyle has led to conflict with the nomadic Baggara, cattle-herders of the region, concerning access to water and grazing land, particularly in Darfur's central Jebel Marra mountains where the best agricultural land is to be found. This has been the source of ethnic tensions for many years, culminating in the Darfur conflict, which began in 2003.
The Fur established the historical Sultanate of Darfur which governed Darfur for several centuries. It is still the first political powers in the region, as it is the largest ethnic group. One of its members, Abdulwahid Mohammed Nour, established the Sudan Liberation Movement and Army. Most renowned governors of Darfur such as Deriage and Tegani Seisei are members of the Fur. The name of Darfur comes from the name of this tribe, Darfur means the home of the Fur.
