The Fulani Enigma: Unraveling the Deep Genetic History of Africa’s Legendary Pastoralists

New research traces the origins of the Fulani to the Green Sahara, reshaping our understanding of migration, culture, and ancestry in Africa

A Genetic Time Capsule in the Sahel

For centuries, the Fulani people—renowned pastoralists whose migrations have shaped West and Central Africa—have intrigued historians, linguists, and anthropologists. Where did they come from? How did their nomadic culture evolve? Now, a groundbreaking genetic study by Fortes-Lima et al., published in The American Jour…