Cultural portrait · Sahel and centre

Chadian Arabs

Nomadic or semi-nomadic, Chadian Arabic, herding, long presence in the Sahel.

Context

People profile

Language family: Afro-Asiatic (Chadian Arabic)
Region / province: Sahelian centre and east: Batha, Chari-Baguirmi, Ouaddaï, Salamat
Livelihoods: herding · nomadism or transhumance · trade
Customs and oral literature: Camp dances, religious festivals, sung poetry.
Present-day situation: In 2019 the east of the country (Ouaddaï, Sila) saw deadly intercommunal violence, mostly between Arab herders and settled communities; a state of emergency was declared there in August 2019. Since April 2023 these provinces, together with Wadi Fira and Ennedi Est, have hosted refugees from the war in Sudan. (International Crisis Group, Rapport Afrique n°284, « Avoiding the Resurgence of Intercommunal Violence in Eastern Chad », 2019-12-30 ; UNHCR, « Chad: Forcibly Displaced Persons » (octobre 2025), 2025-10)
Sources: Wikipédia, « Arabes du Tchad » · EDS-MICS 2014-2015 · Sources
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026

Share (EDS-MICS 2014–2015): 9.7%
Subgroups: Juhayna, Hassuna, Awlad Sulayman; many tribes (Baggara, etc.)
Culture: One large cluster, many tribes. Arrivals from Sudan and Libya. Islam, transhumance, markets. Chadian Arabic is a lingua franca.
Food / staple foods: Milk, meat, millet, flatbread, tea.
To remember: Chadian Arabic (more than thirty varieties). Leather and saddle crafts.

SourcesPortraits and pages draw on public sources. Population shares follow the 2014-2015 EDS-MICS household survey, not the last census (RGPH 2009). Main photographs are documentary stills (Festival Dary, Wiki Loves Folklore, Wiki Loves Africa, Wikimedia archives) under Creative Commons, credited to the photographer.

Subgroups

Each subgroup shares the essentials with the main people, with its own nuances of language, place and custom.

Salamat
Area
Salamat and the Guéra plains
Language or dialect
Chadian Arabic
Towns and villages
Am Timan
Cattle herders long settled around the Guéra massif and the Bahr Salamat, semi-sedentary with short transhumance (J.-F. Vincent).
Ouled Rachid
Area
Eastern Guéra, Batha
Language or dialect
Chadian Arabic
Settled later than the Salamat; they still move with herds near their villages in the dry season.
Missiriyé
Area
Batha, down to northern Guéra
Language or dialect
Chadian Arabic
Great nomadic cattle herders, travelling nearly 300 km a year according to J.-F. Vincent.
Choa (Shuwa)To be confirmed
Area
Chari-Baguirmi, Hadjer-Lamis, lake shores
Language or dialect
Chadian (Shuwa) Arabic
Common name for the Arabs of western Chad and the lake basin; internal divisions vary between authors.

Passing on between generations

Tribal and lineage genealogies, poetry and knowledge of routes and water points are passed on in the camp (ferik). Quranic school plays a big role; in town, Chadian Arabic becomes young people’s shared language.

Quick quiz

Pick an answer: the correction and its source appear right away.

Question 1 of 3

Which of these groups is a subgroup of the Chadian Arabs?

SalamatKengaKanembu of Kanem (alifa of Mao)

Sources for this section

How cultures are passed on · Resources for teachers

In-depth portrait

Machine translation from French, under review. The French text is authoritative.

What the encyclopedia says

Chad’s Arabs currently make up nearly 17% of the country’s population. They are divided into many subgroups, usually called “tribes”. Their language, Chadian Arabic, is the country’s main lingua franca.

Quoted from French Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) : « Arabes du Tchad » · Translated excerpt, licence CC BY-SA 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Cultural profile

0 of 6 sections documented

History and origins To document
Language To document
Social organisation To document
Beliefs and religious practice To document
Life cycle (birth, initiation, marriage, funerals) To document
Housing, crafts and dress To document

Documented fact: based on a published written source, cited under the section. Reported oral account: testimony from a community member, published with their consent, not confirmed in writing. Empty sections stay empty rather than being filled in.