Good paper on Sudanese fighting styles is "Oral Traditions Among the Shukriyya" Ibrahim al-Hardallo in Directions in Sudanese Linguistics & Folklore, Institute of African & Asian Studies, Univ Of Khartoum, 1975. I only have a xerox copy.
Article describes traditions of battles between the Shukriyya and the Batahin, Hamaj and others in the Butana plain (east of the Nile) c.1720. Often tribes fought preliminary battles between opposing champions and mounted knight groups before the tribes went at it in a maley (sic).The matter could be settled without a lot of bloodshed. Arms were 3-6 javelins, a spear and sword. Sometimes they fought mounted and others on foot. In a certain battle Abu Ali of the Shuk. cut off Sigmud's head. Another battle including guns and seven Shuk. knights. Shuk. won and captured many swords, spears and quantities of horse-armour.
I don't think there is any doubt about the fighting role of swords in Eastern Sudan. No doubt "swords'" cross-guards evolved into those we know as kaskara sometime before 1879 the Shuk. knight shown in the Fig. 30 in this thread.
Best,
Ed
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