Western Sudan

A historical geographic region of Africa corresponding to the western part of the Sahel and savanna belt south of the Sahara, roughly spanning from modern Senegambia across to the area of the middle Niger bend. It was the site of major medieval and early-modern empires (e.g., Ghana, Mali, Songhai) and later the target of French colonial conquest and administration.

Claims that use this term

• The French imposed direct canton-based administration across the Western Sudan.
• Islamic reform movements created vast multiethnic empires in the Western Sudan
• Military necessity led French conquerors to perpetuate slavery in the Western Sudan.
• Labor coercion concentrated in Ivory Coast, Western Sudan, and Upper Volta.