By making Malanville the staging point for imports destined to the isolated territories of French Sudan, the colonial administration broke with older commercial logics dominated by exchanges along the Niger River valley and by routes linking Hausa territories in the east to the Ashanti in the southwest. Malanville and Gaya became international crossroads whereas the riparian communities entered a period of pronounced isolation. The density and quality of contemporary road infrastructure reflects this orientation and favours international flows to the detriment of the local economy fMap 6.2).