Bilala people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 205,000 (2018) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Lake Fitri (Chad) | |
| Languages | |
| Naba | |
| Religion | |
| Islam |
The Bilala, also called Bulala or Boulala, are an ethnic group that mainly lives around Lake Fitri in the Batha region, central Chad. Most of the Bilala population are agricultural farmers and Muslims. The Bilala numbered around 205,000 in 2018.
The traditional capital of the Bilala is the town of Yao, which served as the seat of a small and independent Bilala-ruled sultanate in the 17th–20th centuries. The sultan of Yao remains the traditional leader of the Bilala people. Prior to the 17th century, the Bilala were closely associated with the history of the Kanem–Bornu Empire; in the 14th century, the Bilala captured Kanem (modern-day southwestern Chad) from that empire and ruled a kingdom there until they were driven away to their modern homeland.