Historical Event
Fall of Songhai to Moroccan forces (1591)
In 1591, the Moroccan army of Ahmad al-Mansur crossed the Sahara and defeated the Songhai Empire at the Battle of Tondibi, using firearms against Songhai cavalry. The empire fragmented into dozens of warring chieftancies, destabilizing West Africa and opening the region to intensified slave raiding.
Why This Matters
The collapse of Songhai is a pivotal turning point — the power vacuum it created directly accelerated the conditions that made the transatlantic slave trade so devastating, making it a crucial link between precolonial African civilization and the Maafa.
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