Sédhiou (Wolof: Seéju) is a town of

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, in Casamance area, nearby the Casamance river, with a population of 31,511 in 2023. It is the capital of the

Sédhiou Region Sédhiou (Wolof: Seéju) is a town of Senegal, in Casamance, Casamance area, nearby the Casamance River, Casamance river, with a population of 31,511 in 2023. It is the capital of the Sédhiou Region. History Sedhiou was originally a Banyun peo ...

History

Sedhiou was originally a Banyun settlement located at an important river crossing for trade caravans as well as the uppermost limit of the tidal flow of the Casamance. Upon the establishment of the

Kaabu Kaabu (1537–1867), also written Gabu, Ngabou, and N'Gabu, was a federation of Mandinka kingdoms in the Senegambia region centered within modern northeastern Guinea-Bissau, large parts of today's Gambia, and extending into Koussanar, Kou ...

federation it became one of the state's constituent kingdoms, ruled by the

Mandinka Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to: Media * Mandingo (novel), ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957 * Mandingo (film), ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel * ''Man ...

. The French established a military post at Sedhiou in 1838. Euro-African traders from Saint-Louis, Goree, and Bathurst increasingly competed with native merchants, creating tensions in surrounding communities. Muslim Mandinka allied with the Fula of

Futa Jallon Fouta Djallon (, , ; ) is a highland region in the center of Guinea, roughly corresponding with Middle Guinea, in West Africa. Etymology The Fulani people call the region Fuuta-Jaloo ( ) in the Pular language. 'Futa' is a Fula word for any re ...

to attack the animist Mandinka of Sedhiou in 1843, imposing tribute on them, although the war continued for years. In 1861 Sedhiou became the seat of one of the first seven arrondissements of the French colony of

. In 1876 the

marabout In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a Sayyid, descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, Romanization of Arabic, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Islam, Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the f ...

Fode Kaba Fodé Kaba Doumbouya, also spelled Dumbuya, was a Diakhanke marabout in the 19th century, one of the leaders resisting French and British colonial expansion in Senegambia. Early life Fode Kaba Doumbouya was born in 1818 in Goumbel in Boundou, i ...

raided the Balanta villages nearby, but was forced to withdraw by the French forces stationed in the town. His ally Sounkari, the chief of Bacoum, nevertheless continued the fight and unsuccessfully besieged the French fort in 1882. He was eventually defeated by Alfred Dodds in 1887. Sedhiou was the capital of colonial

Casamance Casamance is the area of Senegal south of the Gambia, including the Casamance River. It consists of the Lower Casamance (, —i.e. Ziguinchor Region) and the Upper Casamance (, —i.e. Kolda and Sédhiou Regions). The largest city of Casamance ...

from 1883 to 1906, when it moved to

Ziguinchor Ziguinchor (; ; ) is the capital of the Ziguinchor Region, and the chief town of the Casamance area of Senegal, lying at the mouth of the Casamance River. It has a population of 214,874 (2023 census). It is the eighth largest city of Senegal ...

. The commune of Sedhiou is created in February 1960.Loi 60.025 du 1er février 1960

Geography

It is the capital of the

Demographics

In 1983, 13,212 inhabitants lived in the town, rising to 18,465 in 2002. At the 2013 census Sédhiou had a population of 24,213.

Notable people

Sadio Mané Sadio Mané (born 10 April 1992) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward or left winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and the Senegal national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest African players o ...

(born 1992), professional footballer who plays for

Saudi Pro League The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...

club

Al Nassr FC Al-Nassr Football Club () is a professional Association football, football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The club competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system. Al-Nassr is List of unrelegated assoc ...

and the Senegal national team.

Twin town

Les Ulis Les Ulis () is a Communes of France, commune in the Essonne Departments of France, department, from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris, France. A planned community, it comprises outer suburbs (banlieues) built in the 1970s on the southwestern ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sedhiou Populated places in Sédhiou region Regional capitals in Senegal Casamance Communes of Senegal