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27-513: The Imamate of Futa Jallon was one of the last independent states in Senegambia, in the highlands where the Gambia River and Senegal River both rise. It was established as a theocratic state in a jihad launched in 1725 by Karamokho Alfa , and consolidated by his successor Ibrahim Sori . The state was a loose federation of nine provinces, each headed by chief. Two political factions emerged,

54-603: A caravan belonging to a French ally. One of the village elders was killed. This incident fueled the hostility of Bokar Biro, who accused the French of a series of hostile actions, including suppression of the trade in slaves with the Sudan, and refusal to return runaway slaves. He was also suspicious of visits to Futa Jallon by French agents on the pretext of trading or making topographical studies, which he thought were in preparation for military intervention. De Beeckman returned to Futa Jallon

81-512: A gradual socio-cultural shift towards identification with the higher-status Mandinka ethnicity and the ruling Mali Empire . These jula made the Gambia an important part of the wider West African trade network, where salt, shellfish, iron, cloth, ivory, beeswax, gold, slaves, leather and more were exchanged as far as the Niger River and beyond. Alvise Cadamosto , a Venetian explorer working for

108-608: A traditional dish in the cuisine of Gambia . Por%C3%A9daka Porédaka is a town and sub-prefecture in the Mamou Prefecture in the Mamou Region of Guinea . It is located roughly 55 kilometres (34 mi) northeast of Mamou . The Battle of Porédaka took place here on 13 November 1896, during which French colonial troops decisively defeated the last forces of the Imamate of Futa Jallon , after which Futa Jallon

135-578: A victory. He initiated an aggressively anti-French policy. When his term as Almami came to an end in April 1896 he refused to hand over office. The power struggle escalated, with violent incidents, coming close to outright civil war, with calls for assistance reaching the French in September and October. The French decided the time had come to make their move, breaking up Futa Jallon into smaller client states, with their ally Umar Bademba as Almami of what remained of

162-565: Is 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) long and replaces a previously-unreliable vehicle ferry. A toll is levied on vehicle crossings. There are also bridges in the Upper River Region of The Gambia at Basse Santa Su and Fatoto that opened in October 2021, as well as a bridge in Senegal at Gouloumbou. All other crossings are done by ferry, including a primary crossing between Banjul and Barra at

189-521: The Alfaya and Soriya , supporters of the descendants of the first two rulers. A power sharing arrangement evolved under which the position of almami , the head of state, was alternately filled by an Alfaya or Soriya candidate. By the late nineteenth century the French were the dominant colonial power in the region, and were increasingly impatient with the Futa Jallon's hostility. They were angry with

216-689: The Alfaya and Soriya political factions, and attempts by the rulers of the Labé , Timbi and Fugumba provinces to obtain more autonomy. Also, both slaves and ordinary free people were leaving the country for the less oppressive French-controlled zones. In July 1892 Bokar Biro was forced to cede power to Amadu of the Alfaya faction. He assumed power once again in June 1894. Some of the chiefs asked for French help to overthrow him. The Alfa Yaya of Labé began maneuvering for full independence of his province. On 13 December 1895

243-605: The Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul . It is navigable for about half that length. The river is strongly associated with The Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa, which occupies the downstream half of the river and its two banks. The Gambia River runs a total length of 1,120 kilometres (700 mi). From the Fouta Djallon, it runs northwest into the Tambacounda Region of Senegal, where it flows through

270-675: The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was the first to establish a permanent base, on what they called St Andrew's Island in 1651. After taking control of the island and renaming it 'St James' in 1661, the English vied with the French for commercial domination of the river for the next century and a half. During this period, kingdoms along the river Gambia included Niumi (also known as Barra ), Niani, Kantora, Jimara, Kiang, Badibu, Fuladu , Tumana, and Wuli , all of which have lent their names to districts of The Gambia today. Major trading posts on or near

297-581: The Parc National du Niokolo Koba , then is joined by the Nieri Ko and Koulountou  [ fr ] and passing through the Barrakunda Falls before entering the Gambia at Koina. At this point, the river runs generally west, but in a meandering course with a number of oxbows , and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from its mouth it gradually widens, to over 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) wide where it meets

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324-537: The Portuguese , became the first European to sail to the Gambia in 1455, referring to the river as the Gambra or Cambra . Other sources from that period record names such as Guambea , Guabu , and Gambu (possibly a conflation, at the time or in later historiography, of the name of the river and the kingdom of Kaabu ). While merchants of various European countries traded on the Gambia river for two centuries after Cadamosto,

351-624: The French removed the power of the chiefs. In 1905 they arrested Bokar Biro's arch rival Alfa Yaya and sent him into exile. Citations Sources Gambia River The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra , French : Fleuve Gambie , Portuguese : Rio Gâmbia ) is a major river in West Africa , running 1,120 kilometres (700 mi) from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to

378-481: The French, but was killed by the blast of the cannon. In fact, Bokar Biro managed to escape but was soon captured by some soldiers of his enemy, Sori Illili, and was decapitated. Bokar Biro's son died with him. With Bokar Biro's death, the French assumed a protectorate. In June 1897 Ernest Noirot , a former set designer for the Folies Bergère , became administrator and started a program to eliminate slavery. In 1904

405-634: The Gambia River basin is closely associated with that of the Senegal River basin, and the two are usually combined under a single ecoregion known as the Senegal-Gambia Catchments . Although the species richness is moderately high, only three species of frogs and one fish are endemic to this ecoregion. Oysters are harvested from the River Gambia by women and used to make oyster stew ,

432-512: The Timbo-based state. Troops were dispatched from Senegal, Guinea and the Sudan, converging on Futa Jallon. A French column captured Timbo on 3 November 1896. Bokar Biro was unable to enlist the support of the chiefs in resisting the French. On 13 November 1896 Bokar Biro fought a pitched battle on the plain of Porédaka . The French artillery destroyed his army. A poet who described the battle said that Bokar Biro kept his word. He did not flee from

459-761: The area along the Gambia river include the Jola , the Balante , the Bainuk , and the Manjak . The Carthaginian explorer Hanno the Navigator may have reached the Gambia during his expedition in the fifth century BC. According to oral tradition, large numbers of Mandinka immigrants from Mali led by Tiramakhan Traore , one of Sundiata 's top generals, came to the region in the 14th century. Some modern historians, however, posit that relatively few immigrants, primarily jula traders, instead led

486-475: The capital of the Futa Jallon federation. In 1890, the long reign of the Almami Ibrahima Sori Dongolfella ended with his death, triggering a power struggle. The Council of Elders selected Bokar Biro's elder brother as ruler. Bokar Biro took power in a coup after assassinating his brother, and began placing men loyal to him in positions of authority. Bokar Biro had to cope with struggles between

513-431: The colony of Senegal as being ten kilometers north and south of the river as far inland as Yarbutenda (near modern-day Koina), with a 10km radius to mark the eastern border measured from the center of town. The British therefore controlled the river as far as it was navigable by sea-going vessels. Though widely seen as temporary at the time, the borders set in 1889 have remained unchanged ever since. The aquatic fauna in

540-533: The disgruntled chiefs led by Modi Abdoullaye Dhokhiré attacked and defeated Bokar Biro at Bantignel , and he only narrowly managed to escape. Several weeks later, when most people thought that Bokar Biro was dead, he emerged at Keebu , on the western border of the Timbi province, whose chief gave him assistance in returning to Timbo. He managed to assemble a new army of 1,500 soldiers with which he defeated his enemies on 2 February 1896. The main chiefs went into hiding. At

567-406: The end of 1894 the French sent Raoul de Beeckman as their representative to meet with Bokar Biro and arrange a treaty. By March 1895 de Beeckman had spent almost three months on the border of Futa Jallon and was giving up hope of arranging a meeting. Without authorization, the French administrator crossed the border and attacked the village of Nanso, near Demukulima , which he accused of having looted

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594-727: The mouth of the river, or by small boat. Small tributaries on the lower stretches of the river are commonly referred to as bolongs or bolons. These include Sami Bolong dividing the northern halves of the Central River Division and Upper River Division , Bintang Bolong dividing the Lower River Division from the West Coast Division , as well as smaller bodies of water such as the Sofancama, Jurunku, Kutang, Nianji, and Sandugu bolongs. The earliest known inhabitants of

621-482: The next year. On 18 March 1896 de Beeckman arrived at Timbo , the Futa Jallon capital, with a detachment of troops. The French demanded the right to build roads through Futa Jallon, to instal a representative in Timbo, to vet all appointments of provincial chiefs and a trade monopoly. Bokar Biro resisted, but eventually pretended to sign a treaty in order to get the French out of the way while he dealt with his opponents. When

648-513: The river included Barra , Albreda , Juffure , James Island (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site ), Tendeba, Joar, MacCarthy Island , Fattatenda , and Sutukoba . Around the turn of the 18th century, the Scottish explorer Mungo Park traveled up the Gambia twice on his way to the Niger River. The Anglo-French Convention of 1889 delimited the borders of the Gambia Protectorate and

675-696: The sea. There are several bridges crossing the river. The largest and furthest downriver is the Senegambia Bridge between the towns of Farafenni and Soma in The Gambia . Opened in January 2019, it provides a link between the stretches of the Trans-Gambia Highway on the North and South Bank of the river. It also provides an expedited connection for Senegalese trucks traveling to and from Casamance . The bridge

702-550: The support Futa Jallon was giving to Samori Ture 's Wassoulou Empire , which was also resisting French control. In 1889 the British made a treaty with the French that recognized that Futa Jallon was within the French sphere. However, the British in Freetown , Sierra Leone, continued to give subsidies to Futa Jallon until 1895. Bokar Biro belonged to the Soriya faction. His base was Timbo ,

729-472: The treaty document was examined in Saint Louis, it turned out that in place of his signature Bokar Biro had written "Bismillah", meaning "in the name of God". Once it was clear that Bokar Biro did not intend to yield to French demands, they decided to resort to armed force if necessary once the rainy season had passed. The French troops temporarily withdrew to Sangoya. Bokar Biro treated the French withdrawal as

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