Mandinka Resistance to French Rule
The war was also known as Samori Toure’s uprising. It took place in the West Africa in the Wassoulou Empire of the Mandika under Sultan Samori Toure from 1882 to 1898. The capital of his Wassoulou Empire was at Bissandugu {Bissandougou}. Samori was the Sultan of the Mandinka, he was a successful trader and king.
He was born in Manyambaladugu in 1830 and died in 1900 in Gabon as a prisoner.
The CAUSES of the war
The Mandinka uprising was backed by the following causes;
Samori’s desire to protect his trade fortune: The French interfered Samori’s trade routes and threatened the future of his trading empire. So he wanted to defend himself.
He wanted to protect his throne against the French: French colonialism threatened Samori political influence in the area.
Land alienation: The French had already evacuated some Africans from their land to allow settlers production activities. Samori couldn’t wait until it was too late. He decided to wage war against the French.
French collaboration with Samori’s arch-enemies such as Tukoror made the Mandinka ready for battle.
Samori had also accumulated a lot of fire weapons (guns) from the Dyula traders. This gave him the courage to fight.
Interference of culture: Samoli was a sultan; he was Muslim leader, he waged the Jihad against the intruders (French Christians).
The failure of the Bissandugu {treaty} agreement of 1886 between the French and the Mandinka. Samori Toure signed the Peace treaty of Bissandugu with the French in order to buy time to avoid direct fighting with the French.
Note; Samori Toure managed to uphold (resist) the French for an extended period of time due to the following reasons;
The accumulated wealth: Out of the long distance trade, Samori had accumulated a lot of wealth which he used to finance military his campaign against the French.
Strong army: Samori had created a strong army known as SOFA in the region. These were well trained fighters apart from that he had the reserve army in case of severe death of big soldiers. He had a big number of soldier ranging 12000 to 90000.
Modern weapons: Samori used the modern weapons in which at first were supplied by the Dyula merchants; later on he made his own guns which he used to fight the French.
The Mandinka in French forces: The Mandinka who were hired in French forces along with other African joined their fellow Mandinka in Samori’s army and exposed French weakeness.
Mobile military base: The Mandinka fighters’ kept on shifting from one point of a military base to a new one. They did this when they were about to be defeated by the French forces. This too contributed in the delay of the war.
Samori’s commitment: He was a strong and determined fighter. He was capable of defending his throne at any costs. Samori and his fighters were adapted to the Jihad sprit of fighting.
State control of the markets: Samori Toure established the state control of the markets in the Mandinka territories. This enabled him to sustain government expenditures from the revenue accumulated from taxing people in the local markets.
They also scotched the French: Samori used scorched military earth tactics. The fighters burnt the French food farms and granaries. The French were sometimes forced to withdraw from fighting for a while.
Note: The French managed to defeat the Mandinka fighters in 1898.
REASONS FOR THEIR FAILURE OF SAMORI TOURE’S ARMY
Shortage of weapons: Although they had many weapons, as time went on the Mandinka kept on running from place to place.
Switched military tactics: The French fighters kept on burning the Mandinka villages which favored Somari Toure. This created a spirit of fear among Africans and weakened the Africans. Example burning of the natives’ food.
Disunity: The Mandinka fighters weren’t supported by their fellow Africans such as the Tukoror under Ahmed Sek and the Sisoko under Tieben.
Lack of common military base: The Mandinka lacked a strong fort (military base) in which French could face strong opposition. They had a mobile military base. This habit delayed the end of the war but wasn’t a proper solution.
Religions barriers: The non- Muslim Mandinka fighters didn’t support Samori in his military campaign. This also led to the failure of Samori’s military campaign.
Anglo - French collaboration: In 1889 to 1890, the French and the British made the agreement of helping each other against the African guerillas. This unity made the French to be stronger than the Mandinka.
Determination: The French fighters were determined to establish French colonies in all areas mentioned under the Berlin conference agreements. This made the French fight without stopping.
EFFECTS OF THE WAR
Total colonization of West Africa by the French. The Mandinka were the last people to be under French control.
Death and causalities: in most cases, the natives (Mandinka) were killed in a large number as compared with the whites. Some of them were injured in the battle fields.
The end of Samori’s influence: Samori Toure was no longer feared by the people, he was lowered by the French. His soldiers were arrested, Africans societies which were under him because free and worked with the French.
Arrest and death of Samori Toure. In 1889 he was captured and sent to Gabon where he died as a prisoner in June 2, 1900
Destruction of properties: It included destruction of food crops, farms, and the granaries the villages etc. because of this, some people starved a great deal.
Poverty and famine: The Mandinka fighters and their dependants became poor, their
sources of income were cut off and their food supply was disturbed.
Suppression of the trade routes: The trade routes across Samori’s domain were abandoned. Many people who relied on them suffered.
Inspiration. Through this war, the Africans revealed to the whites that in future they will regroup and attack colonialism in other way. It was an indication that the Africans had political awareness of what was going on in the lands.
Assimilation system. The failure of the Africans against the French enabled the French ready to establish the policy of assimilating the Africans into French civilization. This could assure them (the French) a calm control of the Africans.
Note: The large scale uprising were / are referred to as the secondary resistances. Most of the large scale resistances were backed by a number of African grievances against Europeans. They sometimes involved more than one ethnic group. They were also known as post pacification mass uprisings.
