Songhai's River Kings: The Sorko Navy and Sonni Ali

The Songhai Empire: Africa's Powerful Forgotten Kingdom — Fexingo History · Sep 13, 2026 · 10m · transcript

While Timbuktu’s libraries often steal the spotlight, the Songhai Empire’s true power was forged on the waters of the Niger. This episode explores the rise of Sonni Ali Ber, a warrior-king who understood that control of the river meant control of West Africa. We dive into the unique role of the Sorko people, an ethnic group of fishermen and navigators who formed the backbone of Songhai’s naval forces. Through their specialized boats like the hiyo and fari-mondio, they executed devastating amphibious assaults that terrified rival states. We examine how Sonni Ali used these riverine tactics to…