Desertification and drought have also taken their toll on the nomadic way of life. The largest group of nomads in the Sahel are the Tuareg who are nomadic pastoralists. Some groups of Tuareg often visit the Air Mountains. They wander over an area which crosses the borders of Algeria, Libya, Mali and Niger. National borders mean little to them.
Camels are their form of transport.
Most nomadic pastoralists prefer to build large herds as protection against the threat of drought. They live on a diet of grain and dates. The first rains arrive in June. By then the animals have eaten all the vegetation and food supplies are low. Resource Two Nomads Global Issues, Vol.