The
Kanuri people (
Kanouri,
Kanowri, also
Yerwa and several subgroup names) are an
African ethnic group living largely in the lands of the former
Kanem and
Bornu Empires in Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon. Those generally termed Kanuri include several subgroups and dialect groups, some of whom feel themselves distinct from the Kanuri. Most trace their origins to ruling lineages of the medieval
Kanem-Bornu Empire, its client states or provinces. In contrast to neighboring
Toubou or
Zaghawa pastoralists, Kanuri groups have traditionally been sedentary, engaging in farming, fishing the
Lake Chad basin, and engaged in trade and salt processing.