rise of the centralized Fulbe
Massina Empire
and its later conquest by the Fulbe
and Toucouleur led forces of
El
Hadj Umar Tall.
The French moved
into the area in the last decade of the 19th century, in part assimilating the
previous political entities as elements of so-called strategy of
Indirect rule. Douentza remains a
largely Fulbe town and region, but populations of Touareg, former Touareg
slaves (the "Bella"), Bambara, and other ethnicities live in the
local towns and villages. In Douentza town in particular, large portions of
Fulbe population come from former "Riimaybe" slave communities.
On 5 April 2012, it was captured by the Tuareg rebels of the National Movement for the Liberation
of Azawad (MNLA). Describing the
town as the "frontier" of their new nation, the MNLA declared an end
to their offensive. The following
day, the group officially declared the independence of Azawad from Mali.
On 1 September 2012, the
