History of the Zaghawa

The history of the Zaghawa people goes very far back. I shall split it into two categories. The early history and the modern history.

 The first accounts of the Zaghawa people are by that of an Arab geographer by the name of al-Ya'qubi. The first recordings date to 890 a.d. He was sent around to draw maps and gather information of the areas surrounding his king's territory. Knowledge is power after all. Especially in a time period such as this one. Al-Ya'qubi describes them as a nomadic people whom exercised loose rule. At the time they had control of lands ranging from Lake Chad up to the Christian Nile Valley Kingdoms of Nubia, Makuria and Alwa. 

By 1210 - 1248 A.D. Zaghawa was broken by Dunama Dibalami  the ruler of Kanem. the 14th Century marks the rise of Darfur and by this time the Zaghawa only had control over desert areas and subsequently lost much of their power. 

Currently, most Zaghawa can be found in either Chad or Sudan. In Chad the Zaghawa are the dominant ethnic group. As a matter of fact the President, Idriss Deby is Zaghawan along with many other powerful members of the government. Most importantly, his closesta dvisors are Zaghawan. 

The current population of these people in the country of Chad is 87,500. The Global population is around 240,600.