evidence: 1878-1898 - Wassoulou Empire or Mandinka Empire spanning southwestern Mali, upper Guinea, northern Ghana and Ivory Coast at its peak. Its ruler Samori Ture leads resistance to French colonial rule. French military campaigns in the 1890s against Ture are met with significant resistance. He is captured in 1898 and his empire dissolved. [...] 1904-1958 - Ivory Coast is part of the Federation of French West Africa.