The Kushitic living in North East Africa are the indigenous people of modern-day Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Kenya. They have been inhabiting the area since 5000 BC. However, their number has reduced considerably and today they are present in Sunda, Eritrea and Kenya in small numbers. However, their number is quite large in Somalia and Ethiopia. In fact, in Ethiopia, nearly 52 percent of population is Kushitic, while in Somalia practically the entirely population is Kushitic.

The only Kushitic tribe found in Sudan is the Beja tribe and they are restricted to southern part of the country. However, others tribes are also present like the Oromo, Sidama, Alaba, Xamabaro and Qewena, but they are not in great numbers. In Eritrea, the Saho tribe and Afar tribe forms a large part of the population.

Kushitic civilization was located in the Upper Nile Valley in Northeast Africa. It reached its zenith in the second millennium. During this period, the civilization was located at Nubia, which is the location of present-day Sudan. It was seen as a major challenger to Egypt as its influence was spread all the way to sub Saharan Africa. The Kushitic civilization thrived until the first millennium BC at which point it was defeated by Nubia. However, there is some controversy over this. Some historians contend that the civilization flourish for another 6 centuries in Meroe, a place that was south of Nubia’s erstwhile capital Napata.

The civilization was ruled by pharaohs. It began its rise under a pharaoh named Tuthmoses III and continued under the rule of King Kashta, who was instrumental in uniting the Lower and Upper Nubia. However, the most famous pharaoh of the Kushitic civilization was Taharqa. He has been credited with building numerous monuments across Egypt and Sudan. However, his greatest deed was to restore and re-build the Karnak Temple. It was under his rule that Kushitic civilization came to an end when the Assyrians rose and took up arms.