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Bouca is a town located in the Central African Republic prefecture of Ouham-Fafa . It is not far east of Bossangoa at the Fafa river.

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64-545: On 21 March 2013, the town was overtaken by rebels of the Séléka coalition. On 9 September 2013 armed Anti-balaka fighters attacked the town killing at least three people. On 4 March 2021 Bouca was recaptured by government forces. Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical wet and dry (Aw). 6°30′N 18°17′E  /  6.500°N 18.283°E  / 6.500; 18.283 This Central African Republic location article

128-494: A 14-year-old girl in a ritualistic way to increase profit from mines. Since 2021, a large number of former Anti-balaka fighters have been recruited by Wagner Group into so-called Black Russians . They have been responsible for numerous war crimes, including the 2021 Boyo killings . Fula people The Fula , Fulani , or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara , Sahel and West Africa , widely dispersed across

192-572: A federal state of nine provinces: Timbo, Fugumbaa, Ɓuuriya, Koyin, Kollaaɗe, Keebaali, Labe, Fode-Hajji, and Timbi. After the Muslim Fulɓe victory, other ethnic groups who had resisted the jihad were deprived of their rights to land except for a small piece for their subsistence and were reduced to servitude. The nomad Pulli Fulɓe lost all freedom of movement, and thus, began to settle en-masse. The Jalonke lost their noble status and became slaves ( maccuɓe ). Later, due to strife between two branches of

256-807: A fixed or settled homestead not too far away, they are basically "in-betweeners". Settled Fulani live in villages, towns, and cities permanently and have given up nomadic life completely, in favor of an urban one. These processes of settlement, concentration, and military conquest led to the existence of organized and long-established communities of Fulani, varying in size from small villages to towns. Today, some major Fulani towns include: Labé , Pita , Mamou , and Dalaba in Guinea; Kaedi , Matam and Podor , Kolda in Senegal and Mauritania; Bandiagara , Mopti , Dori , Gorom-Gorom , and Djibo in Mali and Burkina Faso, on

320-579: A major ethnic boundary marker" between them and other African ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa. Armed with horses and weapons from the north and inspired by Fula, Berber and Arab clerics, Fulani political units would play a central role in promoting Islam in West Africa through peaceful and violent means. These jihads targeted other ethnic groups but also other Fulani who had not yet adopted Islam or who follows it too loosely. These wars helped

384-490: A nomadic herding people, they have moved through and among many cultures, making it difficult to trace their relationships and history with other peoples. Speculations about their origins started in the era of European conquest and colonization because of their oftentimes fair skin, wavy long hair and facial features. Fulani oral histories suggest that their origins lie in North Africa. Their ethnogenesis likely arose as

448-667: A precedent for later, larger, and more disruptive Fula jihads . The Emirate / Imamate of Timbo in the Fuuta Jallon developed from a revolt by Islamic Fulɓe against their oppression by the pagan Pulli (فُلِی or 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞥆𞤭, non-Islamic Fulɓe), and the Jallonke (the original Mande inhabitants of the Fuuta-Jallon), during the first half of the 18th century. The first ruler took the title of Almaami and resided in Timbo , near

512-563: A result of interactions between an ancient West African population and North African populations such as Berbers or Egyptians. The earliest mention of the Fula in history may go back to the Bible. Maurice Delafosse speculated that they may correspond to the descendants of Put , son of Ham . Josephus wrote of the Phutites, ancient inhabitants of what is now Libya . The precursors of

576-461: A tiny minority being Christians and Animists. Many West African leaders are of Fulani descent, including the former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari ; the first president of Cameroon Ahmadou Ahidjo ; the former President of Senegal, Macky Sall ; the President and the vice president of Gambia, Adama Barrow and Muhammad B.S.Jallow; the President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló ;

640-622: A turning point; hardened by war and massacres, the anti-balaka committed multiple atrocities. In December 2013, UNICEF reported that in sectarian violence in Bangui , at least two children were beheaded and one of them was mutilated. In 2014, Amnesty International reported several massacres committed by anti-balaka militias against Muslim civilians, forcing thousands of Muslims to flee the country. On 13 January more than 100 people were killed by Anti-balaka in Bossemptélé massacre . In 2014,

704-756: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Anti-balaka The Anti-balaka ( anti-machete ) is an alliance of militia groups based in the Central African Republic in the early 21st century said by the Guardian to be composed primarily of Christians, but also some Muslims. However, some church leaders have contested the claimed exclusively Christian character of such groups. The Tony Blair Faith Foundation and journalist Andrew Katz have noted that animists also participate in Anti-balaka groups. This militia formed in

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768-504: Is now eastern Senegal, from his home near Podor . Sy settled the lands with relatives from his native Futa Toro and Muslim immigrants from as far west as the Djolof Empire and as far east as Nioro du Sahel . Under Sy, Bundu became a refuge for Muslims and Islamic scholars persecuted by traditional rulers in other kingdoms. Sy was killed in 1699 caught in an ambush by the army of Gajaaga . Still, Bundu's growth that would set

832-718: Is now illegal, memories of the past relationship between Fulɓbe and Rimayɓe are still very much alive in both groups. Paul Riesman, an American ethnographer who resided among the Jelgooji Fulɓbe of Burkina Faso in the 1980s, states that the Fulɓe are tall, slim, and light-skinned; they have thin straight noses, and their hair tends to be long and curly. In contrast, the Rimayɓe are stocky, tending towards corpulence, dark-skinned with flat 'squashed' noses, and short kinky hair. The first Fulani people who were forcibly expatriated to America during

896-637: Is often translated as "anti-machete", a different origin is also claimed: [It is] from the language of the young illiterates, who formed Seleka 's armed opposition, and who chased the Muslim 'anti-balles à ti laka' (anti ti laka bullets). The term 'laka' in the street language of the Central African Republic means an AK-47 . The anti-balakas are therefore the bearers of grigris meant to stop Kalashnikov bullets. According to Human Rights Watch , Congolese peacekeeping forces operating under

960-557: The Atlantic slave trade came from several parts of West and Central Africa . Many Fulani slaves came from places such as Guinea, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Cameroon. Most of the slaves who came from Senegal belonged to Fula and Mandinga peoples. Some of the most common names found on the Registry of Liberated Africans were Fulani in origin. Many of the captors and perpetrators of raids providing sources for

1024-488: The Central African Republic after the rise to power of Michel Djotodia in 2013. Amnesty International reported in 2015 that some members of anti-balaka groups had forcibly converted Muslims to Christianity . Anti-balaka leaders have also been present at torture session of people accused of being witches in public ceremonies, and the Anti-balaka have been accused of extorting money with witchcraft accusation, according to an internal UN report. Though "anti-balaka"

1088-717: The Faro River , to the foot of the Mambilla Plateau , which they would later ascend in subsequent years. The heaviest concentrations of their settlements were at Gurin, Chamba territory, Cheboa, Turua and Bundang. Today, Fula oral historians recognize three different Fuuta , or Fula lands: Fuuta Kingi , meaning 'Old Fuuta', encompassing the Tagant Plateau , the Assaba Region , the Hodh , Futa Toro and

1152-684: The Fulfulde word Ballo meaning “helper or assistant”, this name is spread across several ethnic groups in Nigeria), Tukur (from Takrur ), Gidado, Barkindo, Jallo, Ahidjo and Dikko. In Mali , the most common Fulani family names are Diallo, Diakité, Dia, Sow, Sidibé, Sangaré, Bah, Dicko, Tall, etc. These names can be found among the Fulani populations of the following Malian regions and areas of Mopti , Macina , Nioro , Kidal , Tomboctou , Gao , Sikasso , and others. These names are also found among

1216-580: The Fulɓe Wuro . Fulani towns were a direct result of nomadic heritage and were often founded by individuals who had simply chosen to settle in a given area instead of continuing on their way. Evidence of Fulani migration as a whole, from the Western to Eastern Sudan is very fragmentary. Delafosse, one of the earliest enquirers into Fulani history and customs, principally relying on oral tradition, estimated that Fulani migrants left Fuuta-Tooro heading east between

1280-533: The Fulɓe ladde . While the initial expansionist groups were small, they soon increased in size due to the availability of grazing lands in the Sahel and the lands that bordered it to the immediate south. Agricultural expansions led to a division among the Fulani, where individuals were classified as belonging either to the group of expansionist nomadic agriculturalists or the group of Fulani who found it more comfortable to abandon traditional nomadic ways and settle in towns or

1344-932: The Maccuɗo , Rimmayɓe , Dimaajo , and less often Ɓaleeɓe , the Fulani equivalent of the Tuareg Ikelan known as Bouzou ( Buzu ) or Bella in the Hausa and Songhay languages respectively. The Fulani rulers and merchants were, like many other ruling ethnic groups of Africa, also involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, sourcing the enslaved people through raids and from captives they took by waging war. Many Fulani were enslaved and raided by ethnic groups who adhered to traditional African religions . The Fulani castes are endogamous in nature, meaning individuals marry only within their caste. This caste system, however, wasn't as elaborate in places like northern Nigeria , Eastern Niger or Cameroon . According to some estimates, by

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1408-684: The Ouaddaï highlands of Eastern Chad, the areas around Kordofan , Darfur and the Blue Nile , Sennar , Kassala regions of Sudan, as well as the Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan . The Fulani on their way to or back from the pilgrimage to Mecca , Saudi Arabia, settled in many parts of eastern Sudan, today representing a distinct community of over two million people referred to as the Fellata . While their early settlements in West Africa were in

1472-582: The Sahel from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea , particularly in West Africa . In addition, many also speak other languages of the countries they inhabit, making many Fulani bilingual or even trilingual. Such languages include French , Hausa , Bambara , Wolof , Soninke , and Arabic . Major concentrations of Fulani people exist in the Fouta Djallon highlands of central Guinea and south into

1536-552: The Wolof term Pël , which is variously spelled: Peul , Peulh , and even Peuhl . More recently the Fulfulde / Pulaar term Fulɓe , which is a plural noun (singular, Pullo ) has been Anglicised as Fulbe , which is gaining popularity in use. In Portuguese, the terms Fula or Futafula are used. The terms Fallata , Fallatah , or Fellata are of Arabic origins, and are often the ethnonyms by which Fulani people are identified by in parts of Chad and Sudan. The Toucouleur people of

1600-924: The corpse of Camille Lepage , a missing French photojournalist , was found by French soldiers in a truck used by Anti-Balaka members. On 24 June 100 Anti-balaka fighters attacked Bambari . 46 people were killed and 28 wounded. On 9 May 2017 Anti-balaka attacked UPC forces in Alindao before withdrawing to Mingala. On 13 May Anti-balaka attacked Bangassou killing more than 115 people including one peacekeeper. On 18 May heavy clashes erupted between Anti-balaka and ex-Seleka in Bria resulting in 26 deaths. On 31 October 2018 clashes broke out between anti-Balaka and ex-Séléka fighters in Batangafo resulting in at least 15 deaths. In 2019, an Anti-balaka leader in Satema killed

1664-775: The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Fulani people have held on to "a strict caste system". There are the Fulani proper, also referred to as the Fulɓe , including the Pullo (also called the Rimɓe (singular)) and the Dimo , meaning "noble". There is the artisan caste, including blacksmiths, potters, griots , genealogists, woodworkers, and dressmakers. They belong to castes but are considered free people . Then there are those castes of captive, slave or serf ancestry:

1728-618: The European slave merchants were also Fulani. Fula society features the caste divisions typical of the West African region. The fairly rigid caste system of the Fula people has medieval roots, had become well established by the 15th-century, and has survived into modern age. The four major castes, states Martin Kich, in their order of status are "nobility, traders, tradesmen (such as blacksmith) and descendants of slaves". According to

1792-510: The Fula dominate much of the Sahel region of West Africa during the medieval and pre-colonial era, establishing them not only as a religious group but also as a political and economic force. From the 18th century onwards, the frequency of jihads increased and the Fulani became politically dominant in many areas. While establishing their hegemony, the Fulbe defined a strict social hierarchy and imposed limitations on economic and trading activities,

1856-561: The Fula population of Burkina Faso , along with other names like Barry and Sankara (derived from Sangaré). Bocoum, Niangadou, Bassoum, Daff, Djigué, and Lah are some family names that can be found among the Diawambe/Jawambe (Singular: Dianwando/Jawando and Diokoramé/Jokorameh in Bambara ) of Mali. The Jawambe are a sub-group of Fulanis in Mali who are primarily known for trading. In some parts of Mali, like Mopti, apart from

1920-490: The Fulani likely migrated out of the Sahara desert , at the time much wetter than today, as it progressively dried beginning in the 7th century BC. They migrated into the Senegal river valley from the east, pushed by Berber raids and desertification. The kingdom of Tekrur in what is now Futa Toro was formed through the interaction of the Fula (and perhaps Berber) migrants with the native "Negro agricultural peoples" of

1984-563: The Fula–a third, or an estimated 7 to 10 million –are pastoralists , and their ethnic group has the largest nomadic pastoral community in the world. The majority of the Fula ethnic group consisted of semi-sedentary people, as well as sedentary settled farmers, scholars, artisans, merchants, and nobility. As an ethnic group, they are bound together by the Fula language , their history and their culture. The Fula are almost completely Muslims with

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2048-463: The Hausa and other surrounding groups of the region. This Hausa–Fulani interaction is uncommon outside the eastern subregion of West Africa. In Mali , Burkina Faso and Senegal for instance, those within the Fulɓe cultural sphere, but who are not ethnically Fula, are referred to as yimɓe pulaaku ( 𞤴𞤭𞤥𞤩𞤫 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤵 , "people of the Fula culture"). As such, Fulani culture includes people who may or may not be ethnic Fulani. Although slavery

2112-773: The Inland Delta. Despite its power and omnipresence, the hegemony of the emirate was constantly threatened. During the reign of Aamadu Aamadu, the grandson of Sheeku Aamadu, internal contradictions weakened the emirate until it fell to the Toucouleur in 1862. The founder of the Toucouleur Empire, El Hadj Umar Tall , was an Islamic reformer originating from Fuuta Tooro . Beginning in Futa Jallon , he led an army that conquered Massina, Segou, and Kaarta , but he died fighting against rebels in 1864. At that point

2176-637: The Secretary-General of OPEC , Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo . There are many names (and spellings of the names) used in other languages to refer to the Fulɓe . Fulani in English is borrowed from the Hausa term. Fula , from Manding languages , is also used in English, and sometimes spelled Fulah or Fullah . Fula and Fulani are commonly used in English, including within Africa. The French borrowed

2240-674: The Seediayanke royal lineage, (the Soriya and the Alphaya ), a system for the rotation of office between these branches was set up. This led to an almost permanent state of civil strife since none of the parties was inclined to respect the system, which considerably weakened the power of the political centre. A jihad in Futa Toro between 1769 and 1776 led by Sulayman Bal threw out the ruling Denianke Dynasty. Sulayman died in 1776 and

2304-853: The Vice President of Sierra Leone, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh ; the prime minister of Guinea conakry, Bah Oury; the Prime Minister of Mali, Boubou Cisse and the Wife of Vice President of Ghana Samira Bawumia . They also occupy positions in major international institutions, such as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations , Amina J. Mohammed ; the 74th President of the United Nations General Assembly , Tijjani Muhammad-Bande ; and

2368-581: The area around Nioro du Sahel ; Fuuta Keyri , 'New Fuuta', includes Futa Djallon , Massina , Sokoto , and the Adamawa Region ; Fuuta Jula is the diaspora of Fula traders and emigrants in other regions. The Fula, living on the edge of the Sahara, were among the first sub-Saharan groups to adopt Islam. According to David Levison, adopting Islam made the Fulani feel a "cultural and religious superiority to surrounding peoples, and that adoption became

2432-702: The areas occupied by the Sokoto Caliphate , which includes what is now southern Niger and northern Nigeria (such as Adamawa , Tahoua , Katsina , Sokoto , Kebbi , Zinder , Bauchi , Diffa , Yobe , Gombe , and further east, into the Benue River valley systems of north eastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon). This is the area known as the Fombina/Hombina , literally meaning 'the south' in Adamawa Fulfulde , because it represented

2496-519: The areas they occupy. Although within each region, there are even further divisions and sub-groupings as well. Below is a list of the main Fulɓe groups. Fuua Tooro -Massinakoore transitional Fuuta Tooro – Fuuta Jallon transitional Typically, Fulɓe belonging to the same affinity bloc tend to cluster together in culture, customs, and dialectal variety with the Eastern Fulɓe sub-groups tending to be more similar to each other than to other sub-groups, and

2560-522: The auspices of the UN murdered a number of Anti-balaka, including a mass murder of 12 people, and tortured others. Some commentators have said that village militias formed in the 1990s to protect against highwaymen were a precursor to the Antibalaka. Unable to provide security throughout the remote areas of the country, President François Bozizé organized, self-protection groups in 2009 to combat crime on

2624-518: The bend of the Niger; and Birnin Kebbi , Katsina , Gombe , Yola , Digil , Jalingo , Bauchi, Misau, Jama'are, Mayo Belwa , Mubi , Maroua , Ngaoundere , Azare , Dukku , Kumo, Girei , Damaturu, Bertoua, and Garoua in the countries of Cameroon and Nigeria. In most of these communities, the Fulani are usually perceived as a ruling class . Fulani communities are sometimes grouped and named based on

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2688-402: The central Senegal River valley speak Fulfulde / Pulaar and refer to themselves as Haalpulaaren , or those who speak Pulaar. The supposed distinction between them was invented by French ethnographers in the 19th century who differentiated between supposedly sedentary, agricultural, fanatical, and anti-European Toucouleurs on one hand and nomadic, pastoralist, docile and cooperative Peulhs on

2752-515: The common Fula surnames like those previously mentioned, you will find surnames like Cissé and Touré. Though these names are commonly associated with the Manding tribes, some in Mali have adopted the Fula culture and language through centuries of coexistence, and thus now consider themselves as part of the Fula ethnic group. A notable example of this is Amadou Toumani Touré , the former president of Mali. The Fula people are widely distributed, across

2816-415: The dissolution of the Séléka in September 2013, but most of the militias refused to disband. The Séléka and the anti-balaka engaged in a cycle of increasing violence. As many Christians had more settled lifestyles and many Muslims were nomadic, competing claims to the land were another dimension of the tensions. In November 2013, the UN warned that the country was at risk of spiraling into genocide, and

2880-411: The eleventh and the fourteenth centuries. By the 15th century, there was a steady flow of Fulɓe immigrants into Hausaland and, later on, Bornu . Their presence in Baghirmi was recorded early in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, Fulani settlements were dotted all along the Benue River valley and its tributaries. They spread eastwards towards Garoua and Rey Bouba , and southwards towards

2944-475: The emirate was divided into three states, each ruled by one of his sons. These three states had their capitals respectively in the towns of Nioro , Segou and Bandiagara . Within 30 years, all three had been conquered and colonized by the French. The Fulani, migrant Arabs and Hausa people have taken some influences from each other's cultures. Upon the success recorded in the 1804 Fulani War of Usman dan Fodio , many formerly nomadic Fulɓe subsequently joined

3008-453: The modern-day town of Mamou . The town became the political capital of the newly formed Imamate, with the religious capital was located in Fugumba . The Council of Elders of the Futa Jallon state were also based in Fugumba, acting as a brake on the Almami's powers. The newly formed imamate was mostly located mainly in present-day Guinea, but also spanned parts of modern-day Guinea Bissau, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. This emirate was, in fact,

3072-419: The most southern and eastern reaches of Fulɓe hegemonic dominance in West Africa . In this area, Fulfulde is the local lingua franca, and language of cross cultural communication. Further east of this area, Fulani communities become predominantly nomadic, and exist at less organized social systems. These are the areas of the Chari-Baguirmi Region and its river systems, in Chad and the Central African Republic,

3136-521: The nomadic-pastoral or Mbororo , the semi-nomadic, and the settled or "town" Fulani. The pastoral Fulani move around with their cattle throughout the year. Typically, they do not stay around for long stretches (not more than 2–4 months at a time). The semi-nomadic Fulani can either be Fulɓe families who happen to settle down temporarily at particular times of the year or Fulɓe families who do not "browse" around past their immediate surroundings, and even though they possess livestock, they do not wander away from

3200-444: The northernmost reaches of Sierra Leone; the Futa Tooro savannah grasslands of Senegal and southern Mauritania; the Macina inland Niger river delta system around Central Mali; and especially in the regions around Mopti and the Nioro Du Sahel in the Kayes region; the Borgu settlements of Benin, Togo, and west-central Nigeria; the northern parts of Burkina Faso in the Sahel region 's provinces of Seno , Wadalan , and Soum ; and

3264-623: The other, but the dichotomy is false. Common Fulani family names in Guinea , Sierra Leone , Liberia , Gambia , Guinea Bissau and Southern Senegal are: Diallo (French speaking regions), Jallow or Jalloh (English speaking regions), Djalo (Cap Verde and Guinea Bissau), Sow, Barry, Bah or Ba, Baldé, and Diouldé. Other Fulani (Toucouleur) family names in Guinea and northern Senegal are: Tall, Sall, Diengue, Sy, Anne, Ly, Wann, Dia and others. Although most Fulbe of Nigeria , Niger and Cameroon use their father's given name as surnames, there are some common Fulani last names such as Bello (likely from

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3328-707: The purpose of which was to ensure a constant flow of tax revenue and commodities to the state apparatus and the standing army, especially for the cavalry. The freedom for pastoralists to move around was curtailed to ensure the smooth functioning of other production activities, such as cereal cultivation and, in the case of Maasina, of fishing activities. There was considerable resistance to the forced acceptance of Islam. Conversion to Islam meant not only changing one's religion but also submitting to rules dealing with every aspect of social, political and cultural life, intrusions with which many nomadic Fulbe were not comfortable. In 1690, Torodbe cleric Malick Sy came to Bundu, in what

3392-401: The region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa , South Sudan , Darfur , and regions near the Red Sea coast in Sudan . The approximate number of Fula people is unknown, due to clashing definitions regarding Fula ethnicity. Various estimates put the figure between 25 and 40 million people worldwide. A significant proportion of

3456-571: The ruling classes of the many emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate . The Fulɓe of Hausaland dress in the clothing and speak the language of their Hausa neighbours (see Hausa–Fulani ). Because they became the dominant ethnic group in these lands, the Fulɓe in the emirates outside Hausaland , like parts of Kanem-Bornu , Adamawa and Gombe , still retain much of their Fulani culture even still speaking Fulfulde as their first language. The Fulɓe who didn't settle during this period and their descendants, however, still keep an obvious distinct identity from that of

3520-475: The same applies to most western groups. Culturally speaking, the central Fulɓe sub-groups are roughly in between the western and eastern Fulani cultural niches. For example, the Massina Fulɓe share similarities both dialectally and culturally to Nigerian or Cameroonian (Eastern) (both of which end interrogative questions with " na ?"), as well as Senegalese and Guinean (western) Fulɓe cultures (who do not end interrogative questions with such mannerism). Accordingly,

3584-450: The state. Abdul Kader defeated the emirates of Trarza and Brakna to the north, but was defeated and captured when he attacked the Wolof states of Cayor and Waalo around 1797. After his release the jihad impetus had been lost. By the time of Abdul Kader's death in 1806 the state was dominated by a few elite Torodbe families. The Sokoto Caliphate was by far the largest and most successful legacy of Fulani power in Western Africa. It

3648-497: The valley who were "essentially Serer ", Dominated first by Wagadu and later by the Lamtuna , the Mali Empire and the Jolof Empire , in the early 16th century the area was conquered by Koli Tenguella , who founded the Empire of Great Fulo . The Fulani were cattle-keeping farmers who shared their lands with other nearby groups, like the Soninke, who contributed to the rise of ancient Ghana, with eastward and westward expansion being led by nomadic groups of cattle breeders or

3712-545: The vicinity of the tri-border point of present-day Mali, Senegal, and Mauritania, they are now, after centuries of gradual migrations and conquests, spread throughout a wide band of West and Central Africa. The Fulani People occupy a vast geographical expanse located roughly in a longitudinal east–west band immediately south of the Sahara, and just north of the coastal rain forest and swamps. There are estimates of more than 25 million Fulani people. There are generally three different types of Fulani based on settlement patterns, viz:

3776-474: The village level; these took the name Antibalaka. In March 2013, President Bozizé (a Christian) was overthrown by a coup during the Central African Republic Civil War by a mostly Muslim rebel coalition known as Séléka . The leader of the Séléka, Michel Djotodia , became the first Muslim president of the country. With the disbanding of the army by Djotodia, many army members joined the militia, boosting their numbers and helping train them. Djotodia announced

3840-470: The western groups are the most divergent from the eastern groups and vice versa. Overall, however, all share most cultural practices to a large extent. In Ghana, the exact number of Fulani is unknown due to systematic oppression that includes not counting the Fulani in the Ghanaian census. This reflects widespread discrimination and negative stereotypes about the Fulani. The origins of the Fulani people are unclear and various theories have been postulated. As

3904-429: Was "descending into complete chaos". France described the country as "...   on the verge of genocide". On 2 December 2013, anti-balaka militiamen are suspected to have killed 12 people, including children, and wounded 30 others in an attack on the mostly-Muslim Fula in Boali , according to the government. This was amidst the Central African Republic conflict under the Djotodia administration . Early 2014 marked

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3968-442: Was established by the Fulbe jihad led by Seku Amadu in 1818, rebelling against the Bamana Empire , a political power that controlled the region from Segou . This jihad was inspired by Usman Dan Fodio and his jihad in Sokoto. This state appears to have had tight control over its core area, as evidenced by the fact that its political and economic organization is still manifested today in the organization of agricultural production in

4032-458: Was succeeded by Abdul Kader ('Abd al-Qadir), a learned teacher and judge who had studied in Cayor . Abdul Kader became the first Almamy of the theocratic Almamyate of Futa Toro. He encouraged construction of mosques, and pursued an aggressive policy towards his neighbors. The Torodbe prohibited the trade in slaves on the river. In 1785 they obtained an agreement from the French to stop trading in Muslim slaves and to pay customs duties to

4096-564: Was the largest, as well as the most well-organized, of the Fulani Jihad states. Throughout the 19th century, Sokoto was one of the largest and most powerful empires in West Africa until 1903, when defeated by European colonial forces. The Sokoto Caliphate included several emirates, the largest of which was Adamawa , although the Kano Emirate was the most populated. Others included, but are not limited to: Gombe Emirate , Gwandu Emirate , Bauchi Emirate , Katsina Emirate , Zazzau Emirate , Hadejia Emirate , and Muri Emirate . The Maasina Emirate

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