SUMMARY
The Fur, alternatively known as Fora, Forok, Fordunga, Furawi, Konjara and Kungara, is an ethnic group located in Chad, Egypt and Sudan. As of 2018, their total population was 1 195 800 1 164 000 residing in Sudan, predominantly in the western region of Darfur. The Fur use a Nilo-Saharan language called Fur but many also speak Arabic. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam under the Maliki school of Islamic law, which was introduced to the Darfur region during the 1600s. In spite of this, animist practices remain commonly practiced as well.
In the 16th century, the powerful Fur possessed kingdoms that extended to the River Nile and they controlled several main desert trade routes. An independent Fur sultanate ruled Darfur, which translates as “homeland of the Fur”, until 1916, when it was incorporated into the Sudanese political system under the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium. After Sudan gained its independence in 1956, the region and its inhabitants experienced considerable neglect from the central Sudanese government administration and the Fur have subsequently been involved in or connected to all three types of organized violence.
The Fur are mostly sedentary agriculturalists that own minimal livestock; they cultivate crops such as millet for sustenance and cash crops such as tobacco and cotton. This distinguishes them from the nomadic, livestock-dependent pastoralist groups in the area such as the Bani Halba Baggara. Local conflict resolution mechanisms and laws established during the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium, usually control tensions between these groups. However, competition for resources, a proliferation of weapons and government neglect have resulted in some violent and politicized communal clashes.
During the eighties, racism spread through Darfur as thousands of Arab refugees from Chad fled to Darfur fearing that the Goraan tribe of Hissène Habré (who took over the Government of Chad in 1982) was nursing hatred towards Arabs in the Chadian society. The immigration of tens of thousands of refugees eventually led to clashes breaking out over land in Darfur in mid-1987. The violent clashes between the Arabs and the Fur, who are considered an African ethnic group, resulted in 3000 deaths before a peace agreement was signed on 8 July 1989. During this communal conflict, the Fur militia received secondary support in the form of weapons from the Habré-led Government of Chad whilst the Arabs received secondary support from the Government of Libya.
Despite the intensity of the clashes, protests by parliament members from Darfur and huge demonstrations, the Government of Sudan failed to intervene. Protesters accused the Sudanese government of supporting those trying to reshape Darfur and open it up for foreign resettlement. Then in 1994, the government redrew the administrative borders of Darfur so that it was no longer one administrative area but three - West, North and South Darfur. This redistributed power within Darfur in two ways: first, it resulted in the Fur majority becoming a minority in all three administrative areas and secondly, it created several new positions, which were all appointed to Arabs. This history lay the foundations of Fur engagement in organized resistance against the Government of Sudan.
In October 2002, the Arab-dominated Janjaweed launched a major offensive targeting Fur civilians, yet nothing was done to prevent or arrest those responsible for the attacks (see for more information Janjaweed – Civilians). Consequently, the Fur joined with the Zaghawa and Masalit to form the SLM/A rebel group, which began fighting in Darfur against the Government of Sudan. The leader of the group was Abdul Wahid Mohammad al-Nur, a Fur lawyer from Darfur and the SLM/A has also been part of the Darfur Joint Resistance Forces and SRF coalitions against the [government](/#/actor/112].
The Fur have been involved in the non-state categories of UCDP organized violence.
