Zalingei
Zalingei
زالنجي | |
|---|---|
  Zalingei Location in Sudan | |
| Coordinates: 12°53′59″N 23°28′36″E / 12.89972°N 23.47667°E | |
| Country |  Sudan |
| State | Central Darfur |
| Control |  Rapid Support Forces |
| Elevation | 2,952 ft (900 m) |
| Population (2009) | |
• Total | 27,258 |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (CAT) |
Zalingei or Zalinjay (Arabic: زالنجي) is a town in Western Sudan, and it is the capital of Central Darfur. In 2018, the population was approximately 28,700.[1] Zalingei is also the name of the district in which the city lies. In 2023, the district's population was approximately 169,800.[2]
History
[edit]
The town has experienced security instability since 2003. This is because of the rebels and armed opponents who use it as a ground to launch their attacks against the state.[citation needed]
In February 2003, the War in Darfur started.[3] Zalingei was also affected. Despite a ceasefire agreed between the Sudanese government and the SLA in September 2003, Janjaweed attacks continued in the Zalingei area during September and October. By early November, escalating militia activity in West Darfur had rendered the agreement ineffective.[4] Violence associated with the government counter-offensive intensified and spread along the El Geneina–Nyala road, including in the Zalingei area, continuing into March 2004.[5] A retrospective mortality survey covering October 2003 to April 2004 estimated a crude mortality rate of 2.20 deaths per 10,000 people per day in Zalingei,[a] with 49% of deaths attributed to violence.[7]
In late 2003, an MSF assessment found around 15,000 displaced people in Zalingei, with more arriving daily from surrounding villages after pro-government militias had destroyed their homes.[8][7] World Food Programme aid deliveries were inconsistent and did not reach all intended recipients. In April and May 2004, the general acute malnutrition rate in Zalingei was recorded at 23.4%. By July, conditions in Zalingei had improved, aided by feeding programmes and food distributions.[7]
By December 2004, the war had transformed Zalingei, with large IDP camps expanding around the city.[9] Estimates of the number of IDP's were uncertain because displaced people were scattered across at least ten sites in the town and many were staying with local residents. A figure of 90,000 was reported for October that year, but this included local residents as well as displaced people.[7] Residents of Hassa Hissa camp close to Zalingei said that insecurity prevented them from moving freely or returning to their villages, while women faced the risk of sexual violence when leaving the camp to collect firewood.[9]
In late 2005, clashes broke out near Zalingei between two Arab groups, Hotiya-Baggara cattle herders and Newiba-Aballa camel herders. The fighting reportedly killed around 60 people and displaced about 250 families to settlements in the town. It may have begun over access to local resources and cattle, and followed earlier clashes in October that reportedly killed between 150 and 200 people.[10][11] Beginning in late summer 2006, renewed fighting broke out near Zalingei between the two groups.[b] Fadul and Tanner linked such local conflicts to rising ethnic tensions and the spread of tribal militias, weapons, lawlessness and impunity during the wider war.[12]
By 2019, there were six IDP camps, and one refugee settlement in the vicinity of Zalingei.[13]
In 2023, the town became under siege during the 2023 Sudan conflict and fell to the Rapid Support Forces in August 2023.[14]
Administration
[edit]Central Darfur was created from West Darfur in 2012, with Zalingei as one of its eight localities. The locality comprises the administrative units of Abata, Zalingei and Rural Traije. Traditional administration operates from the locality down to the village level through a hierarchy.[15]
Climate
[edit]
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies Zalingei’s climate as hot semi-arid (BSh). Afternoon temperatures are always hot and are hottest in March, April and May when they may reach 40 °C (104 °F). The rainy season is from June to September. At this time the diurnal temperature range is least, and afternoon temperatures are cooler but still hot, being coolest in the wettest month of August. On the other hand, morning temperatures are coolest from November to February, when diurnal temperature variation is greatest, so that morning temperatures drop to as low as 6 °C (43 °F).[citation needed]
| Climate data for Zalingei | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 33.8 (92.8) |
34.8 (94.6) |
37 (99) |
37.7 (99.9) |
37.4 (99.3) |
34.6 (94.3) |
30.4 (86.7) |
28.7 (83.7) |
30.8 (87.4) |
34 (93) |
34.2 (93.6) |
33.6 (92.5) |
33.9 (93.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 20.1 (68.2) |
21.4 (70.5) |
25 (77) |
26.4 (79.5) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27 (81) |
24.7 (76.5) |
23.6 (74.5) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.1 (75.4) |
21.9 (71.4) |
20.3 (68.5) |
23.9 (75.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.5 (43.7) |
8.1 (46.6) |
13 (55) |
15.2 (59.4) |
18.4 (65.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
19 (66) |
18.6 (65.5) |
17.5 (63.5) |
14.2 (57.6) |
9.6 (49.3) |
7 (45) |
13.9 (57.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.0) |
5 (0.2) |
26 (1.0) |
70 (2.8) |
177 (7.0) |
198 (7.8) |
97 (3.8) |
16 (0.6) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
590 (23.2) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org, altitude: 890 metres or 2,920 feet[16] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit]In 2004, the Fur were the predominant ethnic group in Zalingei.[17] In the IDP camps in 2007, about 95% was Fur.[18]
In 2023, the median age in the district was 18.3 years, somewhat higher for females than for males.[2]
Education and healthcare
[edit]The University of Zalingei is a public university in Zalingei. It was established in 1994 as part of the expansion of public universities across Sudan.[19][20]
Zalingei Teaching Hospital is the region’s main referral hospital.[21][22] By 2025, the hospital provided care for around 500,000 people and was the only medical facility in Central Darfur equipped to treat both emergency cases and severe cholera infections.[23]
In 2003, Médecins Sans Frontières started a mission in Zalingei.[7]
Transport
[edit]Zalingei Airport, also known as Zalengei or Zalinjay Airport, is a regional airport approximately five kilometres northeast of Zalingei.[24] (IATA: ZLX, ICAO: HSZA).
In 2001, the only paved road from Zalingei led to Nyala.[25]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Mindat.org". Mindat.org. 2026-08-02. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- 1 2 "Population Trends and Demographics". CityFacts. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "House of Commons". International Development. 2005-01-11. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "Darfur in Flames: Atrocities in Western Sudan: BACKGROUND". Human Rights Watch. 2004-02-09. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "A CRITIQUE OF MSF-FRANCE OPERATIONS IN DARFUR (SUDAN) january 2007 - CRASH/Fondation - Médecins Sans Frontières October 2003 - October 2004" (PDF). Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "Crude death rate (deaths per 1,000 population)". UNdata.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "A CRITIQUE OF MSF-FRANCE OPERATIONS IN DARFUR (SUDAN) january 2007 - CRASH/Fondation - Médecins Sans Frontières October 2003 - October 2004" (PDF). Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ Reeves, Eric (2005-03-12). "Darfur Mortality Update: March 11, 2005". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- 1 2 "Sudan: Darfur is a tinderbox of war, dread and very little hope". reliefweb.int. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "Sudan: Scores killed in ongoing clashes in West Darfur - ICRC". reliefweb.int. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "TO SAVE DARFUR Africa Report N°105 – 17 March 2006" (PDF). Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ Fadul, Abdul-Jabbar; Tanner, Victor (2007). "Darfur after Abuja: A View from the Ground". In de Waal, Alex (ed.). War in Darfur and the Search for Peace. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London: Global Equity Initiative, Harvard University; Justice Africa. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-674-02367-3.
- ↑ "SUDAN: Central Darfur State - UNHCR presence and refugee & IDP locations - As of 18 Sep 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "Sudan's western cities under fire as two-month-old war spreads". France 24. 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
- ↑ "Chapter one Introduction" (PDF). Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "Climate: Zalingei – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ↑ Lefkow, Leslie (2004-05-06). "Darfur Destroyed". Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "Conflict, Arms, and Militarization: The Dynamics of Darfur's IDP Camps" (PDF). Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "Home". University of Zalingei. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
- ↑ "University of Zalingei (Sudan)". منصة السودان للمعرفة. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "Looting of health facilities in Zalingei, Central Darfur". Centre for Information Resilience. 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ Upadhyay, Lipi (2024-05-20). "From bombs to desolate halls: MSF responds to people displaced in Zalingei, Sudan, without assistance". Médecins Sans Frontières(MSF)/Doctors Without Borders. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "MSF halts operations in Zalingei Hospital after deadly attack". Sudan Tribune. 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "Zalingei Airport Profile". Centre for Aviation. 2015-06-22. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "New project started due to food shortages in West Darfur, Sudan". reliefweb.int. Retrieved 2026-08-03.