Sahel Corridor

North of Darfur, the desert approaches the dry course of Wadi Howar, an ancient riverbed running east towards the Nile. The wadi once formed a route through the Sahara, and tracks across the surrounding country linked Darfur with wells farther north. Beyond the better-watered lands of Darfur, travellers faced long stretches of desert where the location of a well could determine the course of a journey.