Analysis of classic genetic markers and DNA polymorphisms by Excoffier et al. (1987) found that the Sara are most closely related to theĀ Kunama peopleĀ ofĀ Eritrea.
Both populations speak languages from the Nilo-Saharan family. They are also similar to West African populations, but biologically distinct from the surroundingĀ CushiticĀ andĀ Ethiopian SemiticĀ Afro-Asiatic-speaking groups
TheĀ Sara peopleĀ are aĀ Central SudanicĀ ethnic group native to southernĀ Chad, the northwestern areas of theĀ Central African Republic, and the southern border of NorthĀ Sudan.Ā They speak theĀ Sara languagesĀ which are a part of theĀ Central Sudanic language family.Ā They are also the largestĀ ethnic group in Chad.
Sara oral histories add further details about the people. In summary, the Sara are mostly animists (veneration of nature), with a social order made up of several patrilineal clans formerly united into a single polity with a national language, national identity, and national religion.Ā
