Is there any good PoD, or set of PoD's, to prevent the sudden fall of Samori Ture's militarily competent (and also pretty interesting) West African state, the Wassoulou Empire, in the 1890's, to French colonial forces?
If the Wassoulou Empire does manage to survive in the long term, how will it develop as a political entity? Will it decide to ally with an anti-French European power, such as the Germans?
 
Some context on Ture's struggle against the French, from K. Smith's North Of The Limpopo:
In 1891 the French were free once more to concentrate on Samory and they opened their attack on him in earnest from Bamako on the upper Niger. Between 1891 and 1894 the French advanced and Samory withdrew. Samory realised that he would not be able to hold his own against French artillery fire and would not stand a chance in a pitched battle. He thus adopted guerrilla tactics and held up the French advance by attacking their supply lines and ambushing small detachments. I le did not need his whole army for these operations, and some of his trained soldiers who were not involved in fighting the French were expanding his empire to the east as they conquered other polities. When the French drove him from the upper Niger, he was able to re-establish his government in the more recently incorporated parts of his empire. Samory thus con quered a second empire, all the time resisting the French drive.
By 18% Samory's new empire took in the northern half of the modem Ivory Coast and extended eastward across a large part of northern Ghana. But this second empire was different from the first. He was no longer creating a Muslim state; he was conquering people and exacting tribute from them. Samory did not have the united support of his empire behind him. He had to pay for the horses and guns to fight the French by selling slaves, and he raided far and wide in search of slaves to sell. As the French drove him steadily eastwards, he devastated the country from which he retired so there would be nothing left in it that the French could use.
Source: http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/ha...69818015__Section6.pdf?sequence=9&isAllowed=y

So, if Ture manages to successfully stave off the French from the western, more solidly Mande parts of his empire, can he end up too strong to be dislodged?
 
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Deleted member 67076

If Samuris empire suempire survives its probably going to attack (and conquer) Liberia at some point. It was on his agenda IIRC after relations broke down and the Liberia refused to sell them weapons.
 
If Samuris empire suempire survives its probably going to attack (and conquer) Liberia at some point. It was on his agenda IIRC after relations broke down and the Liberia refused to sell them weapons.
If that is the case for Liberia's situation, then how will the US, Britain, and France react?
Would the Europeans decide to estabilish a protectorate over Monrovia?
 

Deleted member 67076

If that is the case for Liberia's situation, then how will the US, Britain, and France react?
Would the Europeans decide to estabilish a protectorate over Monrovia?
France tried to chip away at Liberia at one point if I remember right, so we can probably cross them off the list should Samori somehow forge good relations with them.

The Brits? Samori had a good relationship with them.

Dont know about the Americans reaction, or if they would care enough to respond.
 
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