French Sudan
Encyclopedia
French Sudan was a colony in French West Africa
that had two separate periods of existence, first from 1890 to 1899, then from 1920 to 1960, when the territory became the independent nation of Mali
.
. On 10 October 1899, French Sudan was broken up; 11 southern provinces went to French Guinea
, the Côte d'Ivoire
and Dahomey
, although two were returned in the following year.
In 1902 the parts of the colony not organized into military districts became Senegambia and Niger
, then Upper Senegal and Niger
in 1904, then the old name came back in a reorganization of 1920.
When the French Upper Volta
was first abolished in 1933 (it was reestablished in 1947), French Sudan gained some of its provinces.
, once again with the name French Sudan, and gained complete internal autonomy 25 November 1958.
On 4 April 1959, French Sudan was joined with Senegal
to form the Mali Federation
, which became fully independent within the French Community on 20 June 1960. The federation collapsed on 20 August 1960, when Senegal seceded. On 22 September, French Sudan proclaimed itself the Republic of Mali and withdrew from the French Community.
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
that had two separate periods of existence, first from 1890 to 1899, then from 1920 to 1960, when the territory became the independent nation of Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
.
Colonial establishment
French Sudan was created as a French territory on 9 September 1880, as "Upper Senegal", and was renamed the "French Sudan Territory" on 18 August 1890, with its capital at KayesKayes
Kayes is a city in western Mali on the Sénégal River, with a population of roughly 100,000 people. Kayes is the capital of the administrative region of the same name. The name "Kayes" comes from the Soninké word "karré", which describes a low humid place that floods in rainy season...
. On 10 October 1899, French Sudan was broken up; 11 southern provinces went to French Guinea
French Guinea
French Guinea was a French colonial possession in West Africa. Its borders, while changed over time, were in 1958 those of the independent nation of Guinea....
, the Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
and Dahomey
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
, although two were returned in the following year.
In 1902 the parts of the colony not organized into military districts became Senegambia and Niger
Senegambia and Niger
Senegambia and Niger was a short-lived administrative unit of the French possessions in Africa, formed in 1902 and reorganized in 1904 into Upper Senegal and Niger....
, then Upper Senegal and Niger
Upper Senegal and Niger
Upper Senegal and Niger was a colony in French West Africa created in 1904 from Senegambia and Niger. Niger became a separate military district in 1911 and a separate colony in 1922, Upper Volta was split off in 1919, and the remainder reorganized as French Sudan in 1920...
in 1904, then the old name came back in a reorganization of 1920.
When the French Upper Volta
French Upper Volta
Upper Volta was a colony of French West Africaestablished on March 1, 1919, from territories that had been part of the colonies of Upper Senegal and Niger and the Côte d'Ivoire...
was first abolished in 1933 (it was reestablished in 1947), French Sudan gained some of its provinces.
Independence
After the French constitutional referendum of 4 October 1958, the "République Soudanaise" became a member of the French CommunityFrench Community
The French Community was an association of states known in French simply as La Communauté. In 1958 it replaced the French Union, which had itself succeeded the French colonial empire in 1946....
, once again with the name French Sudan, and gained complete internal autonomy 25 November 1958.
On 4 April 1959, French Sudan was joined with Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
to form the Mali Federation
Mali Federation
The Mali Federation was a country in West Africa. It was formed by a union between Senegal and the Sudanese Republic...
, which became fully independent within the French Community on 20 June 1960. The federation collapsed on 20 August 1960, when Senegal seceded. On 22 September, French Sudan proclaimed itself the Republic of Mali and withdrew from the French Community.
See also
- Sudan (region)Sudan (region)The Sudan is the name given to a geographic region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from Western to Eastern Africa. The name derives from the Arabic bilâd as-sûdân or "land of the Blacks"...
: the sudan or soudan climate region, of which French Soudan formed the western part. - French colonial empireFrench colonial empireThe French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
- List of French possessions and colonies
- French West AfricaFrench West AfricaFrench West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
Further reading
- Joseph Roger de Benoist, Église et pouvoir colonial au Soudan français: les relations entre les administrateurs et les missionnaires catholiques dans la Boucle du Niger, de 1885 à 1945. 539 p. Karthala, 1987 ISBN 9782865371693
- Georges Spitz, Le Soudan français, Éditions maritimes et coloniales, 1955, 111 p.