Biography of Sonni Ali Ber, The Great

West African monarch who ruled Songhai from 1464 to 1492, expanding a small kingdom along the Niger River into one of medieval Africa's greatest empires.

Date of birth: unknown, Date of death: 1492

Also known as Sunni Ali, Sonni Ali Ber (The Great).

Interpretations of Sonni Ali's Origins There are two main sources of information about Sonni Ali. One is in the Islamic chronicles of the period, the other is through Songhai oral tradition. These sources reflect two different interpretations of Sonni Ali's role in the development of the Songhai Empire.

Sonni Ali was schooled in the traditional African arts of the region and was well versed in the forms and techniques of warfare when he came to power in 1464 in the small kingdom of Songhai, which was centred around its capital city of Gao on the Niger River. He was the 15th consecutive ruler of the Sonni dynasty, which had begun in 1335. One of Ali's ancestors, Sonni Sulaiman Mar, is said to have wrested Songhai away from the Mali Empire towards the end of the 14th century.

Songhai Empire takes over Although Songhai had once paid tribute to the rulers of Mali, the Mali Empire was now crumbling, and the time was right for Sonni Ali to lead his kingdom through a series of conquests at the old empires expense. By 1468 Sonni Ali had repulsed attacks by the Mossi to the south, and defeated the Dogon in the hills of Bandiagara. His first major conquest occurred the in following year when the Muslim leaders of Timbuktu, one of the great cities of the Mali Empire, asked for help against the Tuareg, the nomadic desert Berbers who had occupied the city since 1433. Sonni Ali took the opportunity not only to strike decisively against the Tuareg, but also against the city itself. Timbuktu became part of the fledgling Songhai Empire in 1469.

Sonni Ali and Oral Tradition, Sonni Ali is remembered in Songhai oral tradition as a magician of great power. Rather than following the Mali Empire system of Islamic city rule over a non-Islamic rural people, Sonni Ali mixed an unorthodox observance of Islam with traditional African religion. He was a man of the people rather than the elite ruling class of Muslim clerics and scholars. He is regarded as a great military commander who carried out a strategic campaign of conquest along the Niger River. He is said to have retaliated against the Muslim leadership within Timbuktu after they failed to provide promised transport for his troops to cross the river.

Sonni Ali and Islamic Chronicles, The chroniclers have a different viewpoint -Sonni Ali is portrayed as a capricious and cruel leader. In the 16th century chronicle of Abd ar Rahmen as-Sadi, a historian based in Timbuktu, Sonni Ali is described as an impious and unscrupulous tyrant. He is recorded as having massacred hundreds whilst plundering the city of Timbuktu - killing or driving out the Tuareg and Sanhaja clerics who had acted as civil servants, teachers, and as preachers at the Sankore mosque. In later years he is said to have turned on court favourites, ordering executions during temper tantrums.

Songhai and Trade Regardless of the circumstances, Sonni Ali learnt his lesson well. Never again was he left at the mercy of someone else's fleet. He built up a river-based navy of over 400 boats, and used them to good effect in his next conquest - the trading city of Jenne (now Djenné). The city was placed under siege, with the fleet blockading the port. Although it took seven years for the siege to work, the city fell to Sonni Ali in 1473. The Songhai Empire now incorporated three of the greatest trading cities on the Niger: Gao, Timbuktu, and Jenne. (All three had once been part of the Mali Empire.)

The Songhai Empire now had effective control over the lucrative Niger River trade (rivers formed the major trading routes within west Africa at that time) of gold, kola, grain, and slaves. The cities were also part of the important trans-Saharan trade route system which brought south caravans of salt and copper, as well as goods from the Mediterranean coast.

By 1476 Sonni Ali controlled the inland delta region of the Niger to the west of Timbuktu, and the lakes region to the south. Regular patrols by his 'navy' kept the trade routes open and tribute paying kingdoms peaceful. This is an extremely fertile region of west Africa, and it became a major producer of grain under his rule.

Slavery in Songhai A 17th century chronicle tells the tale of Sonni Ali's slave-based farms. When he died 12 'tribes' of slaves were bequeathed to his son, at least three of which had been obtained when Sonni Ali initially conquered parts of the old Mali empire. Whereas under the Mali Empire slaves were individually required to cultivate a measure of land and provide grain for the king; Sonni Ali grouped the slaves into 'villages', each to fulfil a common quota, with any surplus to be used by the village. Under Sonni Ali's rule children born in such villages automatically became slaves, expected to work for the village or to be transported to the trans-Saharan markets.

Sonni Ali the Warrior Sonni Ali was brought up as part of an exclusive ruling class, a warrior horseman - the region was the best in Africa south of the Sahara for breeding horses. As such he commanded an elite cavalry, with which he was able to pacify the nomadic Tuareg to the north. With cavalry and navy he repulsed several attacks by the Mossi to the south -- including one major attack which reached all the way to the Walata region north west of Timbuktu! -- and defeated the Fulani of the Dendi region, which was then assimilated into the Empire.

Under Sonni Ali the Songhai Empire was divided up into territories which he placed under the rule of trusted lieutenants from his army. Traditional African cults and the observance of Islam were combined, much to the annoyance of Muslim clerics in the cities -- and plots were hatched against his rule. On at least one occasion a group of clerics and scholars at an important Muslim centre were executed for treason.

End of the Legend Sonni Ali died in 1492 as he returned from a punitive expedition against the Fulani. Oral tradition has him poisoned by Muhammad Ture, one of his commanders. A year later Muhammad Ture staged a coup d'etat against Sonni Ali's son, Sonni Baru, and founded a new dynasty of Songhai rulers. Askiya Muhammad Ture and his descendants were strict Muslims, who reinstated orthodox observance of Islam and outlawed traditional African religions.

In the centuries which followed his death Muslim historians recorded Sonni Ali as "The Celebrated Infidel" or "The Great Oppressor". Songhai Oral tradition records that he was the righteous ruler of a mighty empire which stretched over 3,200 kilometres (2,000 miles) along the Niger River.

Vijana wa Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa

Vijana wa Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa limekuwa chimbuko la kuandaa vijana kuajiriwa na vyombo vya Ulinzi na Usalama nchini kama JWTZ, Polisi, Magereza, Usalama wa Taifa na taasisi binafsi za ulinzi. Hivyo Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa linachukua vijana wa kujitolea na mujibu wa sheria.   Kuwaanda vijana kuwa jamii yenye kutekeleza wajibu na moyo wa kupenda kufanya kazi. Masharti ya kijana wa kujitolea kwa ajili ya kujiunga na Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa 1.Awe raia wa Tanzania 2.Awe na Umri kati ya miaka 18-23 3.Awe amemaliza darasa la saba na kuendelea 4.Asiwe ameoa au kuolewa na asiwe na mtu yeyote anayemtegemea 5.Awe tayari kufuata sheria zote za kijeshi zitazokuwa juu yake wakati akiwa jeshini(kutoroka,wizi,ulevi,uvutaji bangi, madawa ya kulevya na upatikanaji wa mimba n.k) Jeshini ni makosa makubwa na utaweza kushtakiwa na kufutiwa mkataba na JKT 6.Awe tayari kurudi nyumbani baada ya kumaliza mkataba wake na Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa 7.Awe na tabia na mwenendo mzuri Masharti ya kijana wa mujibu wa sheria kwa ajili ya kujiunga na Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa 1.Awe raia wa Tanzania 2.Awe na Umri kati ya miaka 18-35 3.Awe amemaliza kidato cha sita na kuendelea 4.Awe tayari kufuata sheria zote za kijeshi zitazokuwa juu yake wakati akiwa jeshini(Uvutaji bang, madawa ya kulevya na upatikanaji wa mimba atashitakiwa na kufutiwa mkataba na JKT 5.Utoro haukubaliki na kosa la utoro mkataba utasogezwa mbele 6.Awe na tabia na mwenendo mzuri   UJUE UTARATIBU WA KUJIUNGA NA JKT JKT huandikisha vijana wa kujitolea kutoka mikoa yote ya hapa nchini kila mwaka. Utaratibu unaotumika ni kwa JKT kuandika barua kwa wakuu wa Mikoa na kuanisha nafasi ambazo mkoa umetengewa. Baada ya Mkoa kupata barua kutoka kwa Mkuu wa JKT na idadi ya nafasi za vijana waliopangiwa kujiunga. Mkoa hugawa nafasi hizo kulingana na wilaya zake. Pia wilaya zinatakiwa kupeleka katika tarafa, kata na vijiji. Mara nyingi uongozi wa wilaya hubandika tangazo la nafasi hizo katika ubao wao wa matangazo. JKT hutangaza nafasi za kujiunga na jeshi hilo kupitia vyombo vya habari vya Serikali na biafsi kwa nia ya kuharakisha taarifa kuwa. kia wananchi hasa vijana. Usaili wa awali hufanyika chini ya Kamati za Ulinzi na Usalama za Wilaya wanakotoka vijana hao, baadaye hufanyika mkoani, ili kupata idadi ya vijana wa mkoa mzima. Zoezi hilo linapokamilika mikoani, JKT hutuma timu za maafisa na askari kutoka Makao Makuu ya JKT kwa ajili ya kuhakiki vijana waliosailiwa katika mikoa yote ya Tanzania Bara. Vijana hupimwa afya zao na kusafirishwa katika vikosi vya JKT.

Pakistan frees top Taliban leader

Afghan Taliban fighters are being urged to end their insurgency Pakistan has released its most senior Afghan Taliban detainee, the group's co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The move comes after persistent requests by the Afghan government which hopes it will help the peace process in the country. Mullah Baradar is one of the four men who founded the Taliban movement in Afghanistan in 1994. He became a linchpin of the insurgency after the Taliban were toppled by the US-led invasion in 2001. He was captured in the Pakistani city of Karachi in 2010. "Baradar has been released," Omar Hamid of the Islamabad interior ministry told the news agency, AFP. Destination unknown It is not clear where Mr Baradar will travel to after his release . He may go to a third country, possibly the United Arab Emirates. More than 30 Taliban leaders have been released from Pakistani jails in recent months. But correspondents say the releases of those Taliban detainees have not had much impact on the peace process. A political adviser to the Kabul government team which addresses the issue of Taliban peace negotiations, Ismail Qasim Yar, told the BBC that Mullah Baradar was "an ambassador for peace". Mr Baradar was one of founding fathers of the Taliban and held several senior positions in their government before its fall in 2001. He then fled to Pakistan and for some years was the Taliban's military commander as they regrouped to fight a guerrilla war. Mullah Baradar was reportedly arrested in a secret raid by CIA and Pakistani agents. The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says releasing one of the founders of the Taliban and a mastermind of the Afghan insurgency, may seem a counter-productive step for the Kabul government and the US-led coalition. But Mullah Baradar has been seen as one of the few senior Taliban figures who has shown a willingness to negotiate, our correspondent says. Afghan diplomats had suggested Pakistan was trying to hinder the reconciliation process by backing more hardline elements within the Taliban. BBC © 2013

Award announced to the one who will provide in formation for the acid attackers in Zanzibar but not for the Shekh Ponda's shooters

Ponda, acid attack ‘not linked’ The Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mr Robert Manumba. POLICE have denied reports by the international media that link the Muslim cleric Ponda Issa Ponda with the recent incident of acid attack on two British girls in Zanzibar. A section of international media has since Saturday, when reports began filtering that Ponda had been injured during an attempt to arrest him, been telling the world that the cleric was being pursued for allegedly being involved in the attack. The Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mr Robert Manumba, told the ‘Daily News’ in Dar es Salaam that “the origin of such information is unknown and questionable’’. “Ponda is under arrest for hate speeches that instigated chaos in various places in the country. We have no proof yet to connect him with the recent acid attack in Zanzibar or elsewhere in the country,” he said. Mr Manumba called on anyone with such evidence to let the police know so that they can launch an investigation. “I wonder who conveyed such information to the international media because as far as police are concerned, we have not made such a statement. We call on any one with evidence on such allegations to report to the police,” he said. Ponda is still hospitalized under heavy police guard at the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) in Dar es Salaam where he is undergoing post-surgery treatment for the wounds he sustained on Saturday. On Monday, police in Dar es Salaam special zone announced a reward of 100m/- to anyone who will provide information that will lead to the arrest of perpetrators of incidents of acid attacks in the country. Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander Mr Suleiman Kova said in the city that increased incidents of acid attacks has necessitated the move. “I request the general public to provide information that would help the police find the suspects and allow the law to take its course through mobile telephone number 0754034224,” Mr Kova pleaded. There has of late been a series of acid attacks on several individuals, including a prominent local businessman and two British teenagers, the motive for which is yet to be established as police continue with investigations. Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Issaya Mngulu, who heads investigation team formed by the National Criminal Justice Forum to investigate the circumstances under which Ponda was injured, said the team is currently on field in Morogoro Municipality. “We are already in Morogoro and the work has started. But we cannot be certain over when the work will be concluded,” he said. Mr Mngulu noted that terms of reference for the investigation have been established but hastened to say that the police were not ready to share them with the media at this point. Meanwhile, the British High Commissioner to Tanzania, Ms Dianna Melrose, commented on the acid attack in Zanzibar, thanking the government for the pledge it had made to relentlessly hunt all the culprits. “I would like to thank the governments of Tanzania and Zanzibar for their public condemnation of the attack and their stated determination to leave no stone unturned in finding the perpetrators -- and ensure that they are brought to justice. This will reassure British tourists planning to travel to the island,” she said in a statement. She added: “Pending police investigations, it would be unwise to leap to conclusions about the motive for the attack or what it means for foreign visitors. Nevertheless, we have updated our Travel Advice to inform people of the attack and reiterate the need for caution.” She described the attack as a shocking one and extended her thoughts and sympathy to the young women and their families while wishing them speedy recovery. “Zanzibar remains a popular tourist destination and most visits are trouble free. British nationals are however encouraged to take care and to read our Travel Advice,” she advised. The fact is the police trying to absorb the Shekh Ponda's matter with the girls acidic matter,why could he be arrested after being shooted why not before? There something they want to do against the justice .