Genetics confirms Berbers reached North Africa over 20,000 years ago; Arabs came in the 7th Century CE

Sub: Sci

Sec Biotech

Context:

The Imazighen (Berbers) of North Africa arrived over 20,000 years ago, while the Arabs migrated in the seventh century Common Era (CE), as confirmed by recent research.

Research Findings:

Scientists David Comas and Òscar Lao from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyze 364 complete genomes from various populations.
They developed a computational model called “genetic programming for population genetics” (GP4PG) to distinguish between the Imazighen and Arabs.
- GP4PG is an innovative computational model with natural computing methods, within the field of artificial intelligence.
The GP4PG model revealed that the Imazighen and Arabs separated more than 20,000 years ago, with the Imazighen returning to Africa from Eurasia in a movement known as “back to Africa.”
The GP4PG model shows a genetic gradient from east to west, declining from the Middle East to sub-Saharan Africa, following the arrival of Arabs around 600 AD.

Arab Colonization:

Previous studies suggested Arabs originated in North Africa during the Neolithic Period, but new research confirms they colonized North Africa during the seventh century CE.
The Arab conquest of Egypt, led by Amr ibn al-As, resulted in the Arabization of Egypt and subsequent spread to Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
- Amr ibn al-As is a Sahabah or Companion of the Prophet Muhammad and Arab commander, who later ruled Egypt as governor of the Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphs.

Imazighen (Berbers):

Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also called by their endonym Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arabs in the Arab migrations to the Maghreb.
Their main connections are identified by their usage of Berber languages, most of them mutually unintelligible, which are part of the Afroasiatic language family.
They are indigenous to the Maghreb region of North Africa, where they live in scattered communities across parts of Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and to a lesser extent Tunisia, Mauritania, northern Mali and northern Niger.
Smaller Berber communities are also found in Burkina Faso and Egypt’s Siwa Oasis.

Source: DTE