North Kordofan

North Kordofan (Arabic: شمال كردفان, romanized: Šamāl Kurdufān) is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 185,302 km² and an estimated population of 3,174,029 people (2018 est). El-Obeid is the capital of the state.

North Kordofan is generally arid and desert.

History

A graffiti of a makurian king was discovered in abu negila For centuries, North Kordofan was inhabited by nomads and pastoralists, mainly the Dar Hamid, Dar Hamar, Guamaa, Kababish, Bideriya, Shwehat and including the Yazeed tribes. The area has had almost continuous drought since the mid-1960s. Deforestation led to the destruction of the natural vegetation. NGOs working in the villages of Sudan tried to rectify the damage. They set up women's centres. These centres allowed many women gain an income. Training was introduced and a solar energy system set up. NGOs recognise that a need exists for longer projects requiring the kind of support that only can come from governments and large agencies.

The singer Hawa Al-Tagtaga was from the region.