Char Bouba war

The Char Bouba or the Marabout War took place between 1673 and 1678 in what is today Mauritania and Senegal. It was fought between two coalitions: one of Muslim groups led by marabouts and another of secular traditional rulers and lax Muslims. The former was led by the Lamtuna Imam Nasr ad-Din and included Sanhadja tribes, the Torodbe of Futa Toro, and the Muslims of the Wolof kingdoms of Waalo, Cayor, and Jolof. The latter brought together the Arab Banu Maghfar tribes, the Denianke of Futa Toro and the traditional aristocracies of the Wolof states, supported by the French.

While the marabout coalition was initially successful, overrunning many kingdoms of the Senegal River valley, after Nasr al-Din's death it lost steam and was eventually destroyed. The war had profound long-term consequences on the social and religious makeup of Mauritania and Senegambia. Despite the failure, the jihad and its survivors inspired a long series of religious wars across West Africa that would ultimately culminate in the Sokoto jihad and the Toucouleur Empire in the 19th century.

Name

Nasr al-Din's jihad is commonly known as the Char Bouba (variously transliterated as Sharr Bubba or Shurbuba), meaning 'Bouba's war', among Berber written sources. This name comes from an episode when the Muslim forces first demanded the zakat from Banu Maghfar tributaries, and a man named Bouba called for their help to resist this imposition. Char Bouba is most commonly used when studying the conflict from the Mauritanian perspective, whereas 'Marabout War' is more common in Senegal.