Abdul Bokar Kan (died 4 August 1891) was the de facto ruler of the upper part of the

Imamate of Futa Toro The Imamate of Futa Toro (; ; ) was a West African theocratic monarchy of the Fula-speaking people ('' Fulɓe'' and Toucouleurs) in the middle valley of the Senegal River, in the region known as Futa Toro. Following the trend of jihads in the ...

in the late nineteenth century. This included parts of what are now

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

and

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

along both banks of the

Senegal River The Senegal River ( or "Senegal" - compound of the Serer term "Seen" or "Sene" or "Sen" (from Roog Seen, Supreme Deity in Serer religion) and "O Gal" (meaning "body of water")); , , , ) is a river in West Africa; much of its length mark ...

. After his death, the French colonial powers took full control of the territory. Abdul Bokar Kan was the head of the Booseya clan of Futa Toro. He formed an alliance with Muhammad wul Hayba, the head of the Awlād A'li of the Gorgol region. The ''

almami Almami (; Also: Almamy, Almaami) was the regnal name of Tukulor monarchs from the eighteenth century through the first half of the twentieth century. It is derived from the Arabic Al-Imam, meaning "the leader", and it has since been claimed as th ...

'' of Futa Toro at that time was Abdul Boubakar, but his power was nominal. In June 1864 the Moors and Booseya Fula collaborated in plundering trade barges that had become stranded near Saldé, drawing savage French reprisals against both groups. After Amadu Toro died, the lower part of Futa Toro was safe for French river traffic. Abdul Bokar Kan was the de facto ruler of the upper Futa. He had eliminated Tierno Brahin, one of his rivals, in 1869. The Wan family, led by Ibra Almami, rivalled his power in the lower part of Futa Toro, but in the upper part he had gained full power. The French generally encouraged Abdul Bokar Kan and other Futa Toro strongmen when they attacked caravans in the region, since they hoped that would discourage migration away from the region to

Kaarta Kaarta, (Also known as Ka'arta or the Massassi State) was a Bambara kingdom that arose after the fall of the Songhai Empire in what is today the western half of Mali and lasted until its destruction by Umar Tall in the 1850s. History Early histo ...

. Under growing pressure from the French colonial power in Senegambia, Abdul Bokar Kan did what he could to protect his land, income and power in Futa Toro through diplomatic means. In 1890 the French military embarked on a campaign to eliminate the last remaining autonomous states. Abdul Bokar fled, but was assassinated by the Moors. Abdul Bokar died in Mauritania in August 1891.

Notes and references

Notes Citations Sources * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bokar Kan, Abdul Year of birth missing 1891 deaths Fula people