page_title: Abd al-Karim Sabun
section_title: Military conflict
hierarchical_section_title: Abd al-Karim Sabun / Military conflict
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Central-East Africa in AD 1750. (Partially based on Atlas of World History (2007) - Early modern Africa, map.)
context_page_description: Muhammad 'Abd al-Karim Sabun was of Wadai, a Muslim state in what is now eastern Chad, from 1804 to 1815. He pursued an expansionist policy, and was the greatest of the rulers of Wadai.
context_section_description: Sabun supplied his army with chain mail and firearms, dispatching them on looting expeditions against Bornu and Baguirmi.
  Around 1805 or 1806, Sabun used the excuse that Abder Rahman Gaurang I of Baguirmi had sinfully married his own sister as a reason to attack.
  He captured the capital, Massenya, and killed the mbang and his family.
  He took a huge booty including 20,000 slaves, and appointed a puppet ruler in Bagirmi.
  For many years after this, the Wadai armies freely plundered their southern neighbor.
  Wadai suffered raids from Dar Tama, a vassal kingdom of Darfur.
  Sabun complained about the raids to Muhammad al-Fadl of Darfur and received a conciliatory reply, but the raids continued. 
  Sabun eventually invaded Dar Tama, supported by twenty-two musketeers from the Fezzan, Tripoli and Benghazi. 
  The Tama malik, Ahmad, had to take refuge in Darfur.
  After further fighting, Ahmad was forced to submit to Sabun and to agree to pay annual tribute of a thousand slaves and a hundred horses.
  The number of slaves was later reduced to one hundred. 
  Sabun also made tributary states of Dar Sila and Dar Runga.
caption: States in the central Sudan
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