Battle of Kirina

Timeline

1. c. 1230–1235Mande plateau and the upper Niger River · MaliAfter the decline of the Ghana Empire, the Soso king Sumanguru expanded and oppressed the Mande peoples. In exile, Sundiata allied with neighboring city-states and clans, forming a coalition against Soso and preparing for a decisive battle.
2. c. 1235Kirina (Krina) · Upper Niger RiverThe two armies clashed around Kirina, and Sundiata's coalition defeated Sumanguru's forces. Oral tradition emphasizes that this battle decided mastery of the Mande region, and the Soso polity subsequently collapsed.
3. c. 1235–1240Around Niani · MaliAfter the battle, Sundiata established suzerainty over the Mande peoples; tradition regards this as the beginning of the Mali Empire. In the following years he continued to expand and took over the symbolic center of the former Ghana lands.