The interior of Africa forged civilizations and empires. The notables include Ghana, Tekrur, Mali and Songhai empires.
The Ghana Empire tasted glory first getting to its peak by A.D. 1060. It was made up of deferent people such as the Soninke, the Susu, the Serer, the Berber and the Tuculor each with its own distinctive culture and language. With the Ghana kings failing to wield the nation states into one political and cultural unit, these conquered states were anxious to regain their freedom. It reasoned that it was Ghana’s military might which kept the empire going but once weak, it was overrun.
The Ghana empire broke up first due to the rise of Islam and then the emergence of two strong new kingdoms to the south, first the Susu Kingdom and then the Mali Empire, according to Prof. Albert Adu Boahen in his ‘Topics in West African History’ book first published in 1966.
One of the vassal-states of Ghana, Kaniaga regained its independence in about 1076. By 1200, it had developed into the strong Susu or Soso kingdom and in 1203; its king called Sumanguru Kante conquered Ghana and reduced it to a tributary state.
The Susu Empire itself had a brief spell of life as in 1235; Sumanguru was killed by the ruler of another rising empire, Mali.
During the 11th and 12th centuries, the small Mandingo principality grew steadily, powerful and influential so much so that by the beginning of the thirteenth century Sumanguru turned his attention to it after it had subdued ancient Ghana and in 1224, conquered and annexed it.
Oral tradition holds that Sumanguru was a ruthless person owing to the fact that he had 11 of the 12 sons of the Mali king murdered only sparing the life of the last one because he was a cripple.
That cripple was Mari Jata who later became known as Sundiata Keita. He later recovered the use of his legs and became so popular at court as a soldier and hunter that the king, who was reigning at the time exiled him from the state. In 1234, however, Sundiata returned home and seized the throne and during his long reign from 1234 to 1255, he turned the small Mandingo principality and vassal state of the Susu king into the powerful and rich empire of Mali.
There is no doubt about Sundiata’s courage and ability but the political conditions of the time also played well into his hands. Sumanguru Kante had shown himself to be a grasping king, who imposed heavy taxation on the people and one report said he deprived the Mandingo of “their most beautiful women as well as their food and gold.”
The people were so oppressed that they looked for a deliverer and in his secret hide-out after he had been driven out of Kangaba, Sundiata decided to exploit the political situation raising a strong standing army and in 1234 triumphantly entered Jeriba, the capital of Kangaba and seized the throne.
With that victory, the king of Bobo in modern Burkina Faso, for instance, added a contingent of 1,500 archers to Sundiata’s army. Sundiata then marched against Sumanguru and at the famous battle of Kirini in 1235 Sumanguru was defeated and killed.
Sehemu ya ndani ya Afrika ilitokeza ustaarabu na milki. Watu mashuhuri wanatia ndani milki za Ghana, Tekrur, Mali na Songhai. Milki ya Ghana ilipata utukufu wake kwa mara ya kwanza mnamo mwaka wa 106 KK. Watu wa kabila hilo ni watu wa kabila la Sunu, Sunu, Sera, Berber, na Tukulor, kila mmoja akiwa na utamaduni na lugha yake. Kwa kuwa wafalme wa Ghana walishindwa kuunganisha mataifa hayo katika umoja mmoja wa kisiasa na kitamaduni, mataifa hayo yaliyoshindwa yalikuwa na hamu ya kupata tena uhuru wao. Ilidhani kwamba nguvu za kijeshi za Ghana ndizo zilizofanya milki iendelee lakini ilipokuwa dhaifu, ilivunjwa. "Ufalme wa Ghana ulivunjika kwanza kwa sababu ya kuongezeka kwa Uislamu na kisha kuibuka kwa falme mbili mpya zenye nguvu kusini, kwanza Ufalme wa Susu na kisha Milki ya Mali, kulingana na Profesa Albert Adu Boahen katika kitabu chake ""Mitu katika Historia ya Afrika Magharibi"" kilichochapishwa kwanza mnamo 1966." Mji wa Ghana uliitwa Kaniaga, ulianza kujitawala mwaka 1076. Mwaka 1203 mfalme wa Ghana, Sumanguru Kante, alishinda Ghana na kuifanya kuwa nchi ya mtiririko. Milki ya Susu ilibaki kwa muda mfupi, lakini Sumanguru aliuawa na mtawala wa Mali. Katika karne ya 11 na 12, ufalme mdogo wa Mandingo ulikua kwa kasi, wenye nguvu na ushawishi sana hivi kwamba mwanzoni mwa karne ya 13 Sumanguru aligeuza umakini wake juu yake baada ya kuishinda Ghana ya kale na mnamo 1224 kuishinda na kuijumuisha. "Mambo ya kale yanasema kwamba Sumanguru alikuwa mtu asiye na huruma kwa sababu aliwaua wana 11 kati ya 12 wa mfalme wa Mali, na kuokoa maisha ya wa mwisho kwa sababu alikuwa mlemavu.""" Mlemavu huyo alikuwa Mari Jata ambaye baadaye alijulikana kama Sundiata Keita. Baadaye alipata tena uwezo wa kutumia miguu yake na akawa maarufu sana katika makao ya mfalme kama askari na mwindaji, hivi kwamba mfalme aliyekuwa akitawala wakati huo alimfukuza nje ya nchi. Hata hivyo, Sundiata alirudi nyumbani na kuchukua kiti cha enzi na wakati wa utawala wake mrefu kutoka 1234 hadi 1255, aligeuza ufalme mdogo wa Mandingo na serikali ya mfalme wa Susu kuwa milki yenye nguvu na tajiri ya Mali. Hakuna shaka juu ya ujasiri na uwezo wa Sundiata lakini hali za kisiasa za wakati huo pia zilifanya kazi vizuri mikononi mwake. Sumanguru Kante alikuwa mfalme mwenye tamaa ya kupata fedha, na aliwawekea watu kodi kubwa, na ripoti moja ilisema kwamba aliwaondoa wanawake wao wazuri zaidi, pamoja na chakula na dhahabu.Watu walikuwa wakikandamizwa sana hivi kwamba walitafuta mkombozi, na katika mahali pake pa siri baada ya kufukuzwa kutoka Kangaba, Sundiata aliamua kutumia hali ya kisiasa na kuanzisha jeshi lenye nguvu na mwaka 1234 aliingia kwa ushindi katika Jeriba, mji mkuu wa Kangaba. Kwa mfano, baada ya ushindi huo, mfalme wa Bobo katika Burkina Faso ya kisasa aliongeza kikosi cha wapiga-mishale 1,500 kwenye jeshi la Sundiata. Sundiata alishambulia Sumanguru na katika vita maarufu vya Kirini mwaka 1235 Sumanguru alishindwa na kuuawa.