Battle of Segou
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Ségou was a decisive point in the growth of the Toucouleur Empire
(1850-1890), which spread throughout the upper Niger River
and Senegal River
bassins in the late 19th century. It marked the destruction of the last of the Songhay successor states, the beginning of El Hadj Umar Tall
's conflict with fellow Fula Jihad leader of Macina
, and a Toucouleur movement to the east under pressure from French Colonial expansion in the Senegambia.
El Hadj Umar Tall
, a Toucouleur conqueror who swept across West Africa
from Fouta Djallon
, invaded Segou
and found an already shaken Bambara Empire
. Well trained, regimented, and equipped with modern firearms, Umar Tall's mujahideen
readily and easily defeated the Bambara, seizing Ségou itself on March 10, 1861. Umar made his son Ahmadu Tall
king or "Faama
", and declared an end to the Bambara Empire
. The Niger River
city of Ségou became the center of the Toucouleur Jihad state, and the base for its further expansion to the east.
Toucouleur Empire
The Toucouleur Empire was founded in the nineteenth century by El Hadj Umar Tall of the Toucouleur people, in part of present-day Mali....
(1850-1890), which spread throughout the upper Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
and Senegal River
Sénégal River
The Sénégal River is a long river in West Africa that forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania.The Sénégal's headwaters are the Semefé and Bafing rivers which both originate in Guinea; they form a small part of the Guinean-Malian border before coming together at Bafoulabé in Mali...
bassins in the late 19th century. It marked the destruction of the last of the Songhay successor states, the beginning of El Hadj Umar Tall
Umar Tall
El Hadj Umar ibn Sa'id Tall , , born in what is now actual Senegal was a West African political leader, Islamic scholar, and Toucouleur military commander who founded a brief empire encompassing much of what is now Guinea, Senegal, and Mali.-Name:Umar Tall's name is spelled variously: in...
's conflict with fellow Fula Jihad leader of Macina
Massina Empire
The Massina Empire was an early nineteenth-century Fulbe Jihad state centered in the Macina and Inner Niger Delta area of what is now the Mopti and Ségou Regions of Mali...
, and a Toucouleur movement to the east under pressure from French Colonial expansion in the Senegambia.
El Hadj Umar Tall
Umar Tall
El Hadj Umar ibn Sa'id Tall , , born in what is now actual Senegal was a West African political leader, Islamic scholar, and Toucouleur military commander who founded a brief empire encompassing much of what is now Guinea, Senegal, and Mali.-Name:Umar Tall's name is spelled variously: in...
, a Toucouleur conqueror who swept across West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
from Fouta Djallon
Fouta Djallon
Fouta Djallon is a highland region in the centre of Guinea, West Africa. The indigenous name is Fuuta-Jaloo...
, invaded Segou
Ségou
Ségou is a city in south-central Mali, lying northeast of Bamako on the River Niger, in the region of Ségou. It was founded by the Bozo people, on a site about from the present town...
and found an already shaken Bambara Empire
Bambara Empire
The Bamana Empire was a large pre-colonial West African state based at Ségou, now in Mali. It was ruled by the Kulubali or Coulibaly dynasty established circa 1640 by Kaladian Coulibaly also known as Fa Sine or Biton-si-u...
. Well trained, regimented, and equipped with modern firearms, Umar Tall's mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
readily and easily defeated the Bambara, seizing Ségou itself on March 10, 1861. Umar made his son Ahmadu Tall
Ahmadu Tall
Ahmadu Seku Tall was a Toucouleur ruler of the Toucouleur Empire and of Ségou from 1864-1884 . Ahmadu Seku's father, El Hadj Umar Tall, conquered Ségou on March 10, 1861...
king or "Faama
Faama
Faama is a Mandinka word meaning "king". It was commonly used within the area of pre-imperial Mali. The title spread into areas conquered by Mali and was later used by the Bamana Empire and the Wassoulou Empire of Samori Toure and non-Mandinka groups in the Kenedougou Empire.-See also:*Mali...
", and declared an end to the Bambara Empire
Bambara Empire
The Bamana Empire was a large pre-colonial West African state based at Ségou, now in Mali. It was ruled by the Kulubali or Coulibaly dynasty established circa 1640 by Kaladian Coulibaly also known as Fa Sine or Biton-si-u...
. The Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
city of Ségou became the center of the Toucouleur Jihad state, and the base for its further expansion to the east.