Battle of Jenné The Battle of Jenné was a military engagement between forces of the Mali Empire and the Moroccan Pashalik of Timbuktu . The battle marked the effective end of the great Mali Empire and set the stage for a plethora of smaller West African states to emerge . Background . Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries , the Mali Empire had been in near - constant state of decline . All of its periphery vassal territories had become independent states with some even challenging Mali ’ s sovereignty , notable Songhai . In 1591 , the Songhai Empire was defeated at the Battle of Tondibi by a Moroccan expeditionary force . Thanks to the Moroccan ’ s use of gunpowder weapons such as the arquebus and cannon , Songhai power was pushed back eastward across the Niger where they formed the smaller but still robust Dendi Kingdom . With Songhai out of the way , the ruler of Mali Mansa Mahmud IV set his sites on rebuilding his moribund empire . The first step in this grand plan would be to seize the valuable city - state of Jenné , which controlled trade along the inland Niger valley . Mali Forces . Mansa Mahmud IV set about rallying his remaining provinces along with groups that had formerly been vassals of the Mali Empire . He sent out an envoy to his last two provinces of Binduku ( Bendugu ) , Kala and Sibiridugu . Only two minor chiefs responded with a promise of aid in the upcoming battle . These were the kings , called “ koi ” in the Tarik es - Soudan of Farka or Fadku ( part of Kala ) and Ama . Another minor leader who offered his assistance at the time was Hammad Amina , a Fulbe chief ruling in Masina . Still , the mansa was able to raise a substantial army and marched on Jenné with the hopes of resuscitating his dying empire . Pashalik Forces . The trading emporium of Jenné was subject to the Moroccan pashalik of Timbuktu , named for the city where the Moroccan expeditionary force governed from . Previously , the pashalik had taken Jenné without a fight and preserved its king , Muhammad Kinba bin Isma ’ il on the throne under a Moroccan resident , Governor Sayyid Mansur . There are no details on what kind of troops were present when the mansa first began marching toward it , but once the governor was alerted , he sent word to Timbuktu for reinforcements . In response , Pasha Ammar sent a force headed by Qa ’ id al - Mustafa al - Fil and Qa ’ id Ali bin Abd Allah al - Tilimsani , which included arquebusiers . Breakout from Sanuna . The Moroccan reinforcements arrived via river boats , making good use of the city ’ s position on the Niger to ferry troops quickly to the battle . They arrived on May 26 to find Mansa Mahmud IV and his army encamped over the entire dune of Sanuna , which reached down into the creek where the boats were to enter the city . The reinforcements had to fight their way into the city . Using their guns in what Arab records call a massive bombardment , the reinforcements were able to repel the mansa ’ s army . The pashalik forces entered the city , but the Mali army was still encamped and far from defeated . Noon Attack . Inside Jenné , Governor Sayyid Mansur was advised to attack the mansa ’ s forces immediately before anyone else rallied to his banner . After making counsel with his advisors he is quoted as saying : “ Our encournter with them shall be after the noon worship on Friday . ” True to his word the governor along with the king of Jenne went out and engaged the Mali army again . It was a complete route , with the Mali army suffering many casualties . At the end of the battle , Mansa Mahmud IV was forced to flee . Aftermath . Mali ’ s defeat at Jenne destroyed the temporary alliance Mahmud IV was able to pull together , and the Mali Empire ceased to be a political factor in the region . The mansa still received a great deal of respect for even attempting to re - establish the empire , according to Arab records . The Moroccans ’ allies , says the Ta ’ rikh al - Sudan , “ Having met him in a safe place , saluted him as sultan and bore their heads to do him honour , as was their custom ” . Mansa Mahmud IV retired to Niani and died by 1610 . His three sons tore the remnants of the country apart , and Mali was became a scattering of loosely allied chiefdoms . These were swallowed up by the Bamana Empire , which even the pashalik of Timbuktu would eventually have to pay tribute to . Still , none of the emergent powers would come close to the hegemony of Mali or Songhai . West Africa transitioned to a region ruled by smaller and less centralized states until the 19th century . Reasons for the Mandinka Defeat . The defeat of Mahmud IV at Jenné has been attributed to several causes . Details are sparse on the nature of both armies . The overarching theme in why the battle turned out the way it did revolves around the ability of each side to rally its forces . In few other instances are the effects of imperial collapse in the face of a changing political and military environment so well demonstrated . The Mali which faced off against the pashalik forces and its native allies was not the grand military of Mansa Musa . In fact , it had reversed back to its pre - imperial structure just at the time when leaps forward in technology and organization were essential to the empire ’ s survival . Unreliable Allies . One of the most highlighted is the mansa ’ s betrayal by Hammad Amina , the chief of the Fulbe at Masina . Previously , Amina had promised support in taking Jenné , but went over to the Moroccans with whom he already had a king - vassal type relationship . He advised the Moroccans on what to expect from the Mandinka - Bamana force and kept his own forces from joining the battle . The Fulbe are not mentioned as lending military aid to Jenné ’ s defenders , but their absence from the battlefield may have had a great effect on the final outcome . The pashalik of Timbuktu would also regret putting faith in Hammad Amina . The Fulbe would eventually thrown off their nominal vassalage to the pashalik and hand the Moroccans their first major defeat in the Sahel . Unreliable Provinces . Apart from Amina ’ s betrayal , another reason for Mali ’ s defeat may lay in its inability to draw on its remaining provinces for men . Had Mahmud IV been able to draw on the support of his traditional division commanders ( the Sanqara - Zuma and Farim - Soura ) , he would have also had access to the reluctant the governor or Kala - sha of Kala province . Kala - sha Bukar refused to join the mansa without the two commanders , remarking in private : " Since his two greatest lieutenants are not accompanying him , the situation is hopeless . " Mali ’ s disunity , already in full throttle since the mid - 16th century had finally caught up with it at Jenné . In fact when Mansa Mahmud IV went to Kala to fetch what he still believed to be a loyal ally , he found that the Kala - sha had left for Jenné to fight alongside the Moroccans . Gunpowder . Lastly , the Mali Empire , like its Songhai competitor , had failed to modernize its military machine . This was not for lack of trying , however . Previous mansas had tried in vain to purchase firearms or firearm - equipped mercenaries from the Portuguese to no avail . The Mali Empire went to war with the same methods it had been using since the days of Sundjata but without the unity or scale of its past armies . On the other hand , the gunpowder weapons of the pashalik forces were not decisive against the Mali Empire , despite the latter ’ s reliance on traditional infantry and cavalry forces . The use of guns saved the pashalik reinforcements from annihilation ( along with the timely intervention of the king of Jenné ) , but they didn ’ t set the mansa ’ s forces to flight either . Mansa Mahmud IV and his army stayed encamped at the dune of Sanuna awaiting a second engagement . The Moroccans were now faced with the law of diminishing return , as their guns did not have the tactical effect they had held not even a decade earlier . A Mali Empire armed with guns instead of lances and arrows might have stopped Jenné ’ s reinforcement or taken the city outright .