Mansa Musa's Secret War: The Battle of Kanem

Mansa Musa: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived — Fexingo History · Sep 19, 2026 · 8m · transcript

We have spent many episodes exploring the gold, the architecture, and the diplomatic letters of Mansa Musa. But his reign was also defined by hard power on the frontiers. This episode uncovers the brutal campaign against the Kanem-Bornu Empire in the late 1340s. We examine how Musa sent his brother, Farim Mamadi, to crush a rival sultanate that threatened Mali’s eastern trade routes. You will hear about the siege of Njimi, the use of heavy cavalry, and the political aftermath that secured the Sahel for decades. We look at primary accounts from Ibn Khaldun and the Tarikh al-Sudan to separate…