The Mandingo Wars were a series of conflicts from 1883 to 1898 between France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and the Wassoulou Empire

Wassoulou Empire

The Wassoulou Empire, sometimes referred to as the Mandinka Empire, was a short-lived empire of West Africa built from the conquests of Dyula ruler Samori Ture and destroyed by the French colonial army....

 of the Mandingo

Mandinka people

The Mandinka, Malinke are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with an estimated population of eleven million ....

 people led by Samory Touré. The French were ultimately triumphant and established dominance over the Ivory Coast.

First Mandingo War, 1883-1886

Samory opposed French ambitions to build an empire in West Africa

West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...

. He went to war with the French in 1883. French troops occupied Bamako

Bamako

Bamako is the capital of Mali and its largest city with a population of 1.8 million . Currently, it is estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world...

 on the Niger River

Niger River

The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...

and settled the war after a successful offensive in 1886. Samory was forced to accept the Niger as his frontier.

Second Mandingo War, 1894-1895

Samory defeated the French, putting a temporary end to the protectorate over the Ivory Coast.

Third Mandingo War, 1898

This final and decisive struggle in the Mandingo Wars saw French forces victorious over Samory, who was captured and sent into exile.