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27-417: The department has three urban communes; Bakel , Diawara and Kidira . The rest of the department is divided administratively into three arrondissements which in turn are divided into rural communities ( communautés rurales ): 14°54′09″N 12°27′34″W  /  14.90250°N 12.45944°W  / 14.90250; -12.45944 Bakel, Senegal Bakel is a town and urban commune, with

54-422: A dialect of the larger Mande Languages language family. There is also a substantial Pulaar ( Fula ) speaking minority as well as a significant amount of Bambara and Wolof (or Oulof) speakers, while most people learn some French in school. A large permanent market serves the department's inhabitants along with a weekly "Lumo" (similar to a flea market). Most inhabitants are subsistence farmers and herders, while

81-463: A flourishing of religious communities deliberately separating themselves from the pagan French. Although nominally a theocracy, Bundu was founded peacefully rather than through religious revolts such as occurred later in Futa Toro and Futa Djallon . This, as well as the presence of large numbers of non-Fulbe and/or non-Muslim inhabitants, meant that Bundu was more secular than other Fula states of

108-690: A fort at Bakel in Gajaaga in 1820, followed by a brief presence at Sansanding in Bundu itself. Almamy Saada Amadi Aissata Sy, trying to promote trade, agreed to allow a permanent fort built at Senudebou in 1845, though this became a source of contention within the Sisibe ruling class. He also hoped to gain French support for the alliance he was building with the Imamate of Futa Toro and Bambuk against Kaarta ,

135-598: A population of 18,939, located in the eastern part of Senegal , West Africa . The town is located on the left bank of the Sénégal River , 65 kilometers (40 mi) from the Malian border and linked by canoe ferry to the village of Gouraye in Mauritania . Bakel is one of the four eponymous departmental capitals in the region of Tambacounda , the other three being Tambacounda , Goudiry and Koumpentoum . Bakel

162-516: A regional power and rival to non-Muslim Kaarta . These weapons also, however, sparked internal conflict over rulership between rival branches of the Sisibe family based in Koussan and Bulibani. Bundu benefited from a position athwart major trade routes in gold, ivory, kola nuts, salt, cloth, cotton, gum arabic, and cattle. Large numbers of slaves taken in raids against neighboring communities worked

189-638: A song by French rapper Booba whose father is from the town. The area that would become Bakel was first settled by a marabout named Abdoulaye Wane from Fouta Toro , along with his students, known as talibes . At the beginning of the 17th century, members of the Ndiaye family fleeing succession disputes in the Jolof Empire moved to the area, then part of the Kingdom of Galam, also called Gajaaga , (see: Royaume de Galam ), eventually integrating into

216-527: Is also the site of a study of annual flow volumes of the Senegal river from 1904 to 1990 which showed a dramatic reduction in the river's volume especially in the past twenty years. Bundu (state) Bundu (also Bondu , Bondou and Boundou ) was a state in West Africa existing from the late 17th century until it became a French protectorate dependent on the colony of Senegal . It lay between

243-534: Is known for its French fort (Fort Bakel), which René Caillié visited in 1819. It was also the area where the Mauritanian crisis occurred, a dispute over grazing rights that led to a war between Senegal and Mauritania in 1989. As a result of this conflict, many people around the area moved abroad or emigrated to Senegal. The majority of the population belong to the Soninke-speaking ethnic group,

270-565: The Falémé River and the upper course of the Gambia River , that is between 13 and 15 N. , and 12 and 13 W. The country is an elevated plateau, with hills in the southern and central parts. These are generally unproductive, and covered with stunted wood; but the lower country is fertile, and finely clothed with the baobab , the tamarind and various valuable fruit-trees. Bondu is traversed by torrents, which flow rapidly during

297-503: The Kingdom of Jolof 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. It eventually expanded east, taking territory from Bambuk . Sy was killed in 1699 caught in an ambush by the army of Gajaaga . Sy was succeeded by his son Bubu Malick Sy, who expanded the realm southwards at the expense of local Mandinka kingdoms. By 1716 Bundu

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324-549: The aftermath of the Char Bouba war or simply seeking a place where Sy could enforce his interpretation of sharia law . The tunka of Gajaaga gave Sy control first over one village and then a larger territory, the border of which Sy advantageously manipulated by cheating on a pact with the king. Bundu's growth that would set a precedent for later Fula jihads in West Africa . Sy settled the lands with relatives from his native Futa Toro and Muslim immigrants from as far west as

351-463: The country, passed through Bondu in 1795, and had to submit to many exactions from the reigning monarch. The royal residence was then at Fatteconda ; but when Major William Gray, a British officer who attempted to solve the Niger problem, visited Bondu in 1818 it had been moved to Bulibani (Boolibany), a village with a population of 1500–1800, surrounded by a strong clay wall. The French established

378-487: The local Soninke population. Gajaaga and the neighboring Fula state of Bundu would compete for control over Bakel for the next century, as it was already an important trade depot. The French began to penetrate the region in the 18th century, purchasing slaves from the Gajaaga monarchs to export from Saint Louis at the mouth of the river. In 1818, after the restoration of France's West Africa territories (which at

405-467: The neighboring states of Gajaaga, Bambuk, and Futa Toro . Maka Jiba died in 1764 and was succeeded by his son Amadi Gai, who adopted the title of almamy and introduced a legal system based on sharia . The division between the Bulibani and Koussan branches of the family, which would be the source of many succession disputes. originated at this time. Mungo Park , the first European traveller to visit

432-542: The only state on the upper Senegal that could rival Bundu at this time. But the Europeans, while happy to see Kaarta humbled, did not want Bundunke hegemony either. In 1851 Saada Amadi died and a civil war broke out. El Hadj Umar Tall took advantage, taking over the area initially with the support of both the people and the Bundu aristocracy. Many Fulbe migrated east to Nioro du Sahel , heart of Tall's Toucouleur Empire . In 1855 Bokar Saada Sy, son of Saada Amadi, claimed

459-452: The people in town are employed in informal businesses that range from carpentry, masonry and transportation of goods to selling fruit and produce on the street. Due to its location in the Sahel , the area is semi-arid with little vegetation outside of the rainy season. Various hills surround the town, which are known locally as "little mountains." Bakel served as fodder for Bakel City Gang ,

486-515: The people. By the late 19th century two thirds of the population was enslaved. After the closing of the Senoudebou fort in 1862, Saada was the most powerful representative of French interests east of Bakel. He used this position to continually raid neighboring states for captives and booty, particularly the Kingdom of Wuli . Nevertheless, in the face of popular discontent, a series of famines and plague outbreaks, and renewed succession disputes,

513-574: The period, though Islam was a source of prestige and legitimacy as well as causus belli for slaving raids and conquest. Over time increased Fulbe immigration from these more Islamized areas increased the Muslim population. Still, Bundu never attempted to spread Islam beyond its borders. Bundu purchased weapons from both the French on the Senegal river and the British on the Gambia , helping them become

540-471: The population to move within or leave Bundu. Slaves in particular took the opportunity to flee or renegotiate their situations, and many joined the French army during World War 1 . With the growth of the peanut basin and the reorientation of trade towards the Dakar-Niger Railway , Bundu was increasingly ignored by the colonial administration. The area was economically marginalized, but also saw

567-452: The powerful, gold-rich Kingdom of Bundu further south. The fort became a base for promoting French influence, playing local leaders off of each other. Liberalization of trade after 1848 intensified the competition between native chiefs and groups vying for access to markets and imported goods. In the 1850s, the Bakel garrison was strengthened as Omar Saidou Tall 's jihad gained strength in

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594-503: The rains but are empty in the dry season. The name 'Bundu' means ' well ' in Pulaar . Bundu in the 17th century was a sparsely-populated part of the kingdom of Gajaaga inhabited mostly by Pulaar communities but with minorities of Jakhanke , Soninke and other peoples. In 1690, Fula Torodbe cleric Malick Sy came to the region from his home near Podor in the Futa Toro . He and his followers may have been fleeing persection in

621-481: The region and presented over-matched local tribes with a way to undermine French power. In 1855, the fort was officially annexed, following pressure from Saint Louisian merchants. In 1858, upper Gajaaga, between Bakel and the Faleme river , was annexed to the French colony. In 1886 the town was besieged briefly by the forces of Mahmadu Lamine . Sénégal River at Bakel (before construction of Manantali Dam ) Bakel

648-492: The state was fragile. Mahmadu Lamine 's popular 1885-7 jihad briefly drove the Sisibe out of power until French military power defeated the jihadist forces and restored them to the throne. With this, French control was effectively complete. The last almamy, chosen by the French, died in 1902. Early years of French control saw a rising population as many former migrants returned. Starting in 1904, however, conditions deteriorated significantly, and large-scale famines forced much of

675-592: The time consisted only in Saint-Louis and Gorée ) in the 1815 Treaty of Paris , Auguste Jacques Nicolas Peureux de Mélay led a small flotilla up the Senegal . Blocked from going past Bakel by the seasonal drop in water level, they chose the spot to build a fort. The fort was established to counter growing British penetration of the West African market, attracting trade in gum arabic , gold, leather, and ivory. It also served to establish closer relations with

702-626: The title of almamy with French support, but only managed to exert real control over Bundu after Tall's 1857 defeat at the Siege of Medina Fort with French military support. During this period warfare and famine devastated the economy, and Tall's call for Muslims to emigrate eastwards to his domain dramatically reduced the population, particularly among the Fulbe. In the 1860s and 70s the Sisibe under Bokar Saada rebuilt their wealth through extensive raiding and trading for slaves and cattle as well as taxing

729-407: Was the most powerful state on the upper Senegal. When he in turn died between 1718 and 1727, an interregnum ensued that threatened both Sisibe (the descendants of Malick Sy) control over the state and the integrity of its central authority. This was, however, restored by Bubu's son Maka Jiba between 1731 and 1735. From the 1720s to the 1760s Bundu suffered Moroccan and Moorish slave raids, as did

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