Battle of Tondibi

Date	13 March 1591
Location	Tondibi, Mali
Result	Decisive Moroccan victory Collapse of the Songhai Empire

Belligerents

Sultanate of Morocco

Songhai Empire

Commanders and leaders

Judar Pasha

Askia Ishaq II

Strength

2,500 Infantry equipped with Arquebus
500 Infantry equipped with bows, lances and swords
1,500 Light Cavalry

6 cannons

9,700 infantry
12,500 cavalry

1,000 cattle

Casualties and losses

Unknown

Unknown but reportedly heavy losses

2,500 Infantry equipped with Arquebus
500 Infantry equipped with bows, lances and swords
1,500 Light Cavalry

9,700 infantry
12,500 cavalry

The Battle of Tondibi was the decisive confrontation in Morocco's 16th-century invasion of the Songhai Empire. Though vastly outnumbered, the Moroccan forces under Judar Pasha defeated the Songhai Askia Ishaq II, guaranteeing the Empire's downfall.

The Songhai had been the dominant force in Western Africa for more than a century, controlling the Western Sudan from the headwaters of the Senegal River to what is now Niger; however, a rivalry for succession after the 1583 death of Askia Daoud left the Empire in a weakened state.

Meanwhile, to the north, the Saadi Dynasty of Morocco was at the height of its power. In 1578, an attempt by Portugal to conquer Morocco had been repelled by the Moroccans at the Battle of Alcácer Quibir, where a large Portuguese army was decimated. However, the amount of money spent paying for the defenses used to hold off the Portuguese was a large strain on Morocco. The nation's coffers were depleted, and Morocco was on the verge of bankruptcy. In search of new resources for his kingdom, Sultan Ahmad I al-Mansur Saadi turned his attention to the Songhai Empire, where he erroneously believed the gold mines from which its wealth came from, were located.

Though many of his advisors warned that it was illegal to wage war against another Muslim nation, he swept their objections aside. In October 1590, he dispatched a force of 1,500 light cavalry and 2,500 infantry, many of whom were equipped with arquebuses. The command he entrusted to Judar Pasha, a Spanish eunuch who had been captured as a child. The army traveled with a transport train of 8,000 camels, 1,000 packhorses, 1,000 stablemen, and 600 laborers; they also transported eight English cannons.

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Wikipedia