The population was said to be over two hundred thousand. And in the midst of this widespread hardship.

The spiritual and societal collapse.

The most important reason for this was that the system of the Sudanese state, which had remained in place since the founding of the Ghana Empire, had not endured. The period between the 16th century and the beginning of the 19th century was a period of Islamic flourishing and another, a period of "great vacuum" in Sudanese history. It was a period in which the Mossi, Bambara, Fulani, Tuareg, and Berbers tried to seize Djenné and Timbuktu, the two important cities of the Sahel, but the emergence of mercenary bands that began to plunder villages made the situation even more dire for the people.

Administrative Organization in the Sudan

It can be said that the Sudanic empires of the Middle Ages were more than just vast confederations of tribes brought together and united by force; they were states with highly sophisticated organizations. It is a mistake to view these states as feudal in the sense that feudalism was known in Europe, although there was a limited and very different form of feudalism in existence.

In the Sudan, the general system was one of superiority and sovereignty. Supreme authority was recognized as such, and the states maintained their own courts and armies. Tribute and gifts were the usual means for vassal princes to acknowledge the emperor as their master, meaning their authority remained intact. Therefore, any weakening of the emperor's authority led to rebellions and wars of succession, which were characteristic of the history of these states.