The Emirate of Adamaoua or Adamawa is a former powerful state in Central Africa whose territories spanned the current regions of Adamaoua, North, Far North in Cameroon, the State of Taraba in Nigeria and much of Chad and the Central African Republic. Under the rule of the Sokoto Empire, this state still lived as an independent state and had its own capitals.
Birth of the Emirate
We owe the birth of the Emirate of Adamaoua to the proliferation of Fulani jihadism in West and Central Africa. Indeed, it was in 1810 that Modibbo Adama founded the Emirate of Adamawa, a year after launching the Fulani jihad. The latter was a marginal marabout and a general of Sheikh Ousman Dan Fodio. The initial name of this territory was Fombina which in Peul means The South.
Initially, Modibbo Adama exercised religious power and was the link between his vassal state and the Sokoto Caliphate. Little by little his religious power transformed into a real one, albeit with fragile power, with the integration of the non-Fulani animist forces, the forces of the new converts from the Hausa and Bornou countries, and the military coalition of some isolated or threatened Fulani groups by powerful enemies. This power was essentially super-ethnic, created and consolidated around an orphan marabout with no traditional Fulani powers roots.
Heyday of the Emirate
As in many ancient African societies, the Adamawa Emirate based its economy and its development on the sale of slaves. Acquired through conquests, these slaves were sold to other kingdoms and to Westerners. Those that remained were used to develop the local economy through trade and field and domestic work. Others were made warriors and helped the Emirate establish its dominance in the region.
Decline of the Emirate
The arrival of Westerners and their settlement in the region caused the decline of the Emirate. First in 1901, nearly 100 years after its founding, the Emirate was split in two. A part ended up in the British protectorate in Nigeria and another part in German Kamerun. A division that has considerably weakened the territory.
Later, the remaining Adamaoua part in present-day Cameroon was further split under the French colonial administration. The territory was divided into three distinct provinces, Adamaoua, the North, and the Far North.
