The Battle of Logandème (18 May 1859) was an uprising led by the Serer King

Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof Maad a Signig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof (variations : Mad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, Mad a Sinig Coumba Ndoffène Fa mak Diouf, Coumba N'Doffène Diouf, Coumba N'Doffène Diouf I, Maat Sine Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, etc. - c. 1810 � ...

, king of Sine, against the French Empire. The battle took place at Logandème (in

Fatick Fatick ( wo, Fatik, srr, Fatik) is a town in Senegal, located between M'bour and Kaolack and inhabited by the Serer people. Its 2005 population was estimated at 24,243. It is the capital of the Fatick Region and the Fatick Department. Toponym ...

Diouf, Niokhobaye, "Chronique du royaume du Sine", Suivie de notes sur les traditions orales et les sources écrites concernant le royaume du Sine par Charles Becker et Victor Martin. (1972). ''Bulletin de l'Ifan'', Tome 34, Série B, n° 4, (1972), p 725 (p 16)) which was a part of Sine at the time.Klein, Martin A., ''Islam and Imperialism in Senegal, Sine-Saloum, 1847-1914'', Edinburgh University Press, pp 55-59, The battle was also a revenge attack against the Serer people after their resounding victory against France at the Battle of Djilass (or Tilas) on 13 May 1859. It was the first time that France decided to employ

cannonball A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...

in the Senegambia.

Le Quotidien (Senegal) ''Le Quotidien'' is a major independent daily newspaper in Senegal, based in the capital of Dakar. It also publishes a glossy weekly, entitled ''Week end''.
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Background

After the defeat of Queen Ndaté Yalla Mbodj, Ndateh Yalla Mbooj of

Waalo Walo ( wo, Waalo) was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what are now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north were Moorish emirat ...

in 1855, Louis Faidherbe decided to launch wars against the Serer kingdoms of Sine and

Saloum The Kingdom of Saloum (Serer language: ''Saluum'' or ''Saalum'') was a Serer/ Wolof kingdom in present-day Senegal. Its kings may have been of Mandinka/Kaabu origin. The capital of Saloum was the city of Kahone. It was a sister kingdom of Si ...

, and declared all previously signed treaties between the two kingdoms and France

null and void In law, void means of no legal effect. An action, document, or transaction which is void is of no legal effect whatsoever: an absolute nullity—the law treats it as if it had never existed or happened. The term void ''ab initio'', which means " ...

and asked for the establishment of new treaties on Faidherbe's terms. According to scholars like Martin A. Klein, that was a huge mistake on the part of the French, because it paved the way for the future Serer kings to use the same tactic against the French, in particular Maad a Sinig Sanmoon Faye, the successor of Maad Kumba Ndoffene Famak in 1871. The revocation of the excessive traditional customs duties paid by the French merchants to the Crown, the Serer kings refusal to have the French buy and own land in Serer countries or to build in masonry (see

Maad a Sinig Ama Joof Gnilane Faye Joof Maad a Sinig Ama Joof Gnilane Faye Joof (many variations of his name: Ama Joof, Amat Diouf, Amajuf Ñilan Fay Juf, Amadiouf Diouf, Ama Diouf Faye, Ama Diouf Gnilane Faye Diouf, Ramat Dhiouf, etc.) was a king of Sine now part of present-day Senega ...

) were all contributory factors to this war. However, the Serer resounding victory against the French at the Battle of Djilass on 13 May 1859 was a key factor. This battle was the first time the French made the decision to employ

in the Senegambia to avenge their humiliating defeat at the Battle of Djilass (13 May 1859). It was also in this battle where governor Faidherbe showed respect to his enemies (the Serer) by saying: "These people, we kill them, but we do not dishonour them." He said to the French commander of Gorée, Pinet Laprade. After Senegal's independence, that quote was taken up by President

Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor (; ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician and cultural theorist who was the first president of Senegal (1960–80). Ideologically an African socialist, he was the major theoretician o ...

as the motto of the country's National Army: "You can kill us but you cannot dishnour us." In May 1859, Faidherbe arrived in

Gorée (; "Gorée Island"; Wolof: Beer Dun) is one of the 19 (i.e. districts) of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is an island located at sea from the main harbour of Dakar (), famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic slave trad ...

with 200

tirailleur A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French ...

s and 160 marines. He then gathered the Gorée garrison, the people of Gorée, Rufisque and the

Lebou people The Lebu (Lebou, ''Lébou'') are an ethnic group of Senegal, West Africa, living on the peninsula of Cap-Vert. The Lebu are primarily a fishing community, but they have a substantial business in construction supplies and real estate.Keese, Alexa ...

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...

to fight against the Serers of Sine in revenge of Kumba Ndoffene and Sanmoon Faye's victory against Pinet-Laprade earlier that year at Tilas.Klein, pp 55-56 In a letter sent to Paris regarding how he supposedly managed to obtain the support of the

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

s and the Lebou people, he reports: ::''"I told them that they were French, and that for this reason they had to take arms to join us and had to participate in the expedition that we are going to make against their neighbours to obtain reparations for wrongs those people had done to us."'' From Rufisque, the French ally forces entered Joal, one of the principalities of the Kingdom of Sine. In Joal, they ran into Maad Kumba Ndoffene Famak's Buumi (heir apparent) – Prince Sanmoon Faye, who was on patrol with some of Sine's forces. Taken by surprise and totally ignorant of what the French forces where doing in Serer country, both sides opened fire. The Sine's patrol force was forced to retreat but two of them were captured by the French, and one of them was entrusted with the task to go and relay to Maad Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof that the French army would be in

in three days time. Fatick was one of the most important principalities of Sine.

The battle

On the morning of 18 May 1859, the French finally arrived in Fatick and took their positions.Klein, Martin A., ''Islam and Imperialism in Senegal -

Sine-Saloum Sine-Saloum is a region in Senegal located north of the Gambia and south of the Petite Côte. It encompasses an area of 24,000 square kilometers, about 12% of Senegal, with a population in the 1990s of 1,060,000. The western portion contains the ...

, 1847–1914'', Edinburgh University Press, 1968, pp 56-57 The army of Sine, which had been mobilised by

junjung A junjung (or variously ''jung-jung'', ''gungun'', ''dyoung-dyoung'' etc.) is the royal war drum of the Serer people in Senegal and the Gambia. It was played on the way to the battlefield, on special state occasions as well as on Serer religio ...

, stood guard at Logandème. Around 9 am, the Serer army attacked against the French forces. By 9.30 am, overwhelmed by French military power,

and his forces were forced to retreat. Within a few minutes, the king of Sine and his cavalry returned to the

battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...

. However, they were unable to break the French ranks and were ultimately defeated.Diouf, Cheikh, "Fiscalité et Domination Coloniale: l'exemple du Sine: 1859-1940", Université Cheikh Anta Diop de

(2005)Klein, p 57 After the French victory, governor Louis Faidherbe gave the order for Fatick and its surrounding villages to be burned to the ground. Faidherbe claimed that 150 Serer-Sine men were: ::"either killed or wounded, but that the French force had only five wounded". The French government in Paris criticised Faidherbe for carrying out a military expedition without notifying them. In response to this criticism, Faidherbe claimed that he only occupied an area which had belonged to France since 1679.Klein, Martin A., ''Islam and Imperialism in

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

- Sine-Saloum, 1847–1914'', Edinburgh University Press, 1968, p57-8 According to scholars like Klein, Faidherbe was playing with words and was making basic policy in Senegal, which resulted in an occupation of an area that had never belonged to France. Neither the Kingdom of Sine nor any of its provinces had ever belonged to the French.

Aftermath

After his defeat at Logandème and the subsequent occupations of some of Sine's provinces by the French, Maad Kumba Ndoffene Famak was forced into a treaty which he deemed unacceptable. Part of that treaty included: guaranteeing freedom of French commerce, allowing the French a monopoly of trade, giving French traders the right to buy land and build in masonry, the taxes paid to Sine would only be a 3 percent export duty and French subjects were to be tried in French courts. Maad Kumba Ndoffene Famak viewed the treaty as unfair and concluded that the French were trying to undermine his

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

. Historians like Klein and Diouf postulates that, the King of Sine was not yet ready to relinquish his country to the French in spite of French directives. On 8 July 1860, he wrote a letter to the commandant of

which read: Maad Kumba Ndoffene Famak's threats did little to hamper French dominance in Senegal. However, some of his actions did seriously damage France's economic base in Senegal albeit temporarily, and the damage was very costly for the French administration to repair. To force the French to yield to his demands which included the collection of taxes from and recovery of these provinces, the

Maad a Sinig Maad a Sinig (variations : Mad a Sinig, 'Maad Sine, Maat Sine, Bour Sine, Bur Sine, etc.) means king of Sine. The ancient Kingdom of Sine, now part of Senegal, was a pre-colonial Serer kingdom . Their kings were titled ''Maad'' or ''Maad'' (also ...

gave the order that all movement of cattle to Joal be stopped. The cattle were destined for

. The

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...

fields, which was a major income generator to the French, along with the transport infrastructure were both destroyed. That was followed by a campaign of harassment of French traders at Fatick. The destruction of the peanut fields did not only affect the French, but also the Serer farmers who bore the brunt of these wars. However, it prevented the farmers of Sine from becoming overdependent on French custom unlike

Cayor Cayor ( wo, Kajoor; ar, كاجور) was the largest and most powerful kingdom (1549–1879) that split off from the Jolof Empire in what is now Senegal. Cayor was located in northern and central Senegal, southeast of Walo, west of the kingdom ...

whose farmers were strongly dependent on France following the famine of Cayor in 1863 and 1864, and Faidherbe granting loans to the Cayor farmers to buy seeds which increased peanut cultivation there, but also forced them to be overdependent on France. The

Kingdom of Saloum The Kingdom of Saloum (Serer language: ''Saluum'' or ''Saalum'') was a Serer/ Wolof kingdom in present-day Senegal. Its kings may have been of Mandinka/Kaabu origin. The capital of Saloum was the city of Kahone. It was a sister kingdom of S ...

, under the reign of Maad Saloum Samba Laobe Latsouka Jogop Faal, underwent a similar military campaign by the French. Inspired by Maad Kumba Ndoffene Famak's actions, the King of Saloum did the same. By October 1863, the king of Sine was still trying to recover the lost provinces, particularly Joal, which was extremely important to Maad Kumba Ndoffene, because Joal was a major commercial centre as attested to by David Boilat in "Esquisses Sénégalaises" (1853). The French conquest of Joal was a severe blow to Maad Kumba Ndoffene Famak, not just economically, but also in terms of defense. Economically, Joal contributed immensely to the country's revenue. The jihads led by the Muslim

marabout A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Sah ...

s such

Maba Diakhou Bâ Maba Diakhou Bâ (1809 – July 1867), also known as Ma Ba Diakhu, Ma Ba Diakho Ba, Ma Ba Jaaxu, Mabba Jaxu Ba, was a Muslim leader in West Africa during the 19th century. Born in Rip, Maba was a disciple of the Tijaniyya Sufi brotherhood and bec ...

were encroaching on Sine. As the Sine did not depend on French weapons nor French military assistance, Joal was the only gateway for Maad Kumba Ndoffene Famak to purchase arms from the British in the Gambia in order to defend his country from any potential threat the Muslim marabouts may launch in Sine. By the French conquering Joal, they cut off the only route available to Maad Kumba Ndoffene to acquire arms from the British and defend his borders. The French conquest of parts of Sine, Joal in particular, not only benefited the French, but also the Marabout movement of the 19th century who were buying arms from the British in the Gambia via Saloum, and depended heavily on British arms, Sarr, Alioune, "Histoire du Sine-Saloum", (Introduction, bibliographie et Notes par Charles Becker), ''Bulletin de Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire'', Tome 46, Serie B, n° 3-4, 1986–1987, pp 37-39 albeit Maad Kumba Ndoffene Famak's victory against the marabouts at

the Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune The Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune (or Thiouthiogne), also known as the Battle of Somb or the Battle of Somb-Tioutioune, occurred on 18 July 1867.Sarr, Alioune. ''Histoire du Sine-Saloum.'' Introduction, bibliographie et Notes par Charles Becker ...

(18 July 1867). Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof saw the French as the greater enemy and threat than Maba Diakhou Bâ. For the next twelve years since his defeat at Logandème by Faidherbe, he continuously tried to fight the French. In August 1871, he left his capital for Joal in order to take it, but was killed by the French.

Notes

Bibliography

* Sarr, Alioune, "Histoire du Sine-Saloum", (Introduction, bibliographie et Notes par Charles Becker), Bulletin de Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire, Tome 46, Serie B, n° 3–4, 1986–1987 * Adande, Alexis, Arinze, Emmanuel, "The place of Women in the Museum of Saint-Louis", n"Museums & urban culture in West Africa", Institut africain international, Oxford, 2002, *Klein, Martin A., "Islam and Imperialism in Senegal", Sine-Saloum, 1847-1914, Edinburgh University Press, *Boilat, David "Esquisses Sénégalaises" (1853), nParis, Karthala, 1984 *Diouf, Cheikh, "Fiscalité et Domination Coloniale: l'exemple du Sine: 1859-1940", Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Logandeme, Battle of Serer history History of Senegal Military history of the Gambia Military history of Africa French West Africa Battles involving Senegal Conflicts in 1859 Battles involving France 1859 in Africa Resistance to the French colonial empire African resistance to colonialism