- Mahjoub Mohamed Saleb, editor of Sudan's independent Al-Ayam newspaper observes, "Black Americans who come to Darfur always say, 'So where are the Arabs? Why do all these people look black?'
- In Darfur, the term "ethnic" deviates from the traditional definition, distinguishing by mobility, livelihood and wealth rather than through bloodline and ancestry. Inhabited by nomads traveling from the Nile, over the centuries, Darfur's population evolved into a mix of cultures and people. As tribes intermarried, bloodline and ancestry could no longer be traced. Ethnic labels symbolized status and allegiance in Sudanese culture so each tribe was still seen through a paradigm of "African" or "Arab." However, instead of being based from bloodline, it was based on the language the members speak and whether they work soil or herd livestock, the farmers considered "African" while the herders considered "Arab," their livestock representing a form of wealth and "blood money."
"African" tribes:
- Fur peasant farmers (where Darfur receives its name - homeland of the Fur) The Fur Sultanate became the first Muslim state in Darfur. By 1800, the Fur Sultanate was the most powerful state within the border of modern-day Sudan. Islam became the official state religion and Darfur was known as the African kingdom "that embraced Arabs as valued equals."
- Zaghawa - occupy the northernmost zone - most ecologically fragile of the regions of Darfur - most affected by drought.
- Jallaba - traders from the Nile
- Rizeigat - northern camel herders
