# Sanda Kura

Shehu Umar Sanda ibn Ibrahim Kura al-Kanemi was the Shehu of Borno from 1922 to 1937. He was the son of Shehu Ibrahim Kura of Borno and brother of Shehu Abubakar Garbai.

## Life

In the year 1893, the al-Kanemi dynasty were evicted from Bornu and left out of rulership by the Sudanese explorer Rabih az-Zubayr. The dynasty ruled over Bornu for almost a century from 1810. After the death of Shehu Kiari by Rabih in 1894, members of the dynasty fled all over the region. Some fled to the Kano emirate, others to Damagaram and a few went into hiding inside metropolitan Borno itself. Umar Sanda Kura lead the group in Damagaram which was the largest and most important. As early of February 1898, the Royal Niger Company reported finding Umar Sanda with 670 of his followers along the border of Damagaram and Kano asking for their help against Rabih. The British, who were trying to cooperate with Rabih instead, ignored his request. His brother, Abubakar Garbai, later joined him sometime around late 1898.

### Battle of Kousséri

Umar Sanda formally asked the French to recognise him as the ruler of Bornu and help him against Rabih when he met the Foureau–Lamy Mission in Begra. The French accepted his request as they thought it was a good bargain after witnessing the deep respect and love the Bornu people had for Sanda Kura. According to Foureau, all the local dignitaries in the city of Begra came to welcome the French expedition, bringing foodstuff and expressing hope that the French would be successful in ending Rabih's reign. Sanda Kura was formally recognised as the Shehu of Bornu on 14 January 1900 in front of a huge jubilant crowd.
By April 1900, the French had gathered their troops in Kanem ready to march to Dikwa to face Rabih but Officer Émile Gentil quickly realised that Dikwa was in "German Borno" rather than "French Borno" which meant marching to Dikwa would mean violating international convention. To get a legal reason for the invasion, Gentil got Gwarang, the Sultan of Bagirmi, to write a letter to Shehu Sanda Kura asking for assistance against Rabih's aggression in Bagirmi. The Shehu was then instructed to reply back acknowledging his distress as legitimate. He then authorised Gwarang to join his forces and his allies in Bornu so they could all launch an attack on Rabih in Dikwa. With this "legal" reason, the French alongside the Shehu's and Gwarang's forces launched an attack on Rabih and killed him on 22 April 1900 in Kusseri.
Shehu Sanda Kura installed himself in Dikwa. The French demanded the fee of 30,000 Maria Theresa dollars from the Shehu as payment for their "services". Shehu Kura, either out of gratitude or fear, sent agents all over Bornu to gather the sum requested. The French went further to ask the Shehu to drive away the Shuwa Arabs living west of Lake Chad into Kanem. It is speculated that the Shehu was bitter against the Shuwa, many of whom had defected to Rabih in 1893 and even after his death preferred to support his son Fadl-Allah as ruler of Bornu rather than Umar Sanda Kura. But despite this bitterness, the Shehu recognised the importance of the Shuwa to Bornu as they owned vasts amount of wealth and cattle. Hence the Shehu refused to drive away the Shuwa. The French, in response, withdrew their "recognition" of Umar Sanda as Shehu and recognised his more "pliable" brother Abubakar Garbai. Umar Sanda was then exiled to the Congo in October 1900 by the French.
Sanda Kura later returned to Borno and was made ajia (district head) of Yerwa in 1915. In 1922, he again became Shehu of Borno. Following his passing in 1937, he was succeeded by the then Shehu of Dikwa, Umar Sanda Kiarimi.