North Darfur
State of Sudan
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History
North Darfur shares much of the history of Darfur. It was the center of the Sultanate of Darfur and contained both its capital al-Fashir and its biggest trading city Kobbei.
Former lieutenant general, Armed Forces Chief of Staff, and defense minister Ibrahim Suleiman Hassan served as governor of North Darfur from April 2001 to May 2003, until being dismissed by President Omar al-Bashir.
North Darfur has been a major flashpoint during the ongoing civil war. Reports indicate that tens of thousands of people were killed in the El Fasher massacre in late October 2025, perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after they captured Al-Fashir, the last Sudanese Armed Forces stronghold in Darfur.
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Geography
North Darfur occupies more than half of the territory of the Darfur region, and includes part of the Marrah Mountains (Jebel Marra). The northern part is entirely desert. To the south there is slightly more rainfall with the eastern side being plains with low sandy hills, while the volcanic Marrah Mountains occupy most of the western side of the south. In the southern portion the most important crops are millet, maize and peanuts.
North Darfur is bounded on the northwest by Libya, on the north by Northern State, on the east by Northern State and North Kurdufan, on the southeast by South Kurdufan, on the south by South Darfur, and on the west by West Darfur and the Republic of Chad. Most of North Darfur's population follow Sunni Islam.