This is a study of the western extremity of the border between Darfur and Southern Sudan, with a focus on the Kafia Kingi enclave. Both Western Bahr al-Ghazal (93,900 km2) and South Darfur (127,300 km2) are huge places: respectively, they are roughly the size of South and North Korea, or Portugal and Greece. At 25,000 km2 Kafia Kingi alone is the size of Puerto Rico.
The enclave is sometimes referred to as Hofrat al-Nahas (which means ‘copper pit’), after an ancient mining settlement at its northern edge. Its area is roughly contiguous with the Radom Biosphere Reserve, a national park recognised by UNESCO. The enclave’s territory covers 12,500 km2, roughly the size of Puerto Rico. Formerly part of Bahr al-Ghazal, the enclave is currently under the administration of South Darfur.
This report includes an overview of the history of Kafia Kingi covering the period from the seventeenth century to the present day. During that time place names, administrative boundaries and ethnic groups have all changed, and most administrative terms have changed their range of reference.
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