Establishment of the Witu Sultanate Founded in the 1810s and then becoming fully independent from nominal
Pate rule in 1858 after several abortive moves to the mainland, the native
sultanate of Wituland was a haven for
slaves fleeing the
Zanzibar slave trade and thus a target of attacks from the
Sultanate of Zanzibar (ruled by a branch of the
Omani dynasty, under British protectorate). Facing an increase in slaving raids from the Sultanate of Zanzibar, the Sultan of Witu formally requested German protection so that he "finally has relief from the attacks of Zanzibar warriors."
Witu Relations with the Geledi Sultanate The
Geledi Sultanate was a powerful Somali state based in the inter-riverine region in southern
Somalia that held sway over the
Jubba and
Shabelle rivers. Witu Sultans had strong ties with Sultan
Yusuf Mahamud Ibrahim as both states were mutually antagonistic towards
Zanzibar and had shared commercial interests. On the island of
Siyu the Sultan of Witu Bwana Mataka had been faced with an insurrection and was deposed in the 1820s. The defiant islanders alongside some
Somalis who were more loyal to the prior administration called for Omani occupation of the island. Yusuf would intervene and Witu would prove victorious as it would bring the Sultan to engage a newly emerging militant group in
Bardera which was a key trade hub and where the Siyu Somalis drew their strength. Both states were interested in
ivory trade through the Jubba river continuing to flourish as a great source of revenue for the region. Later following their victory at Siyu over the militant Somalis and Omani sympathisers the Witu Sultan sent aid before Yusuf engaged and ultimately lost against the Omani aligned
Bimaals in 1848 at the
Battle of Adaddey Suleyman.
First expedition (1890) Shortly afterwards several German merchants were murdered, and a mixed British & Zanzibari
punitive expedition was sent out. The troops landed and descended on
Witu on October 26, 1890. After a series of shoot-outs, Sultan
Fumo Bakari ibn Ahmad fled from the town, with roughly 3,000 of his remaining gunmen. He was deposed by the British and died soon afterwards. After a short reign by
Bwana Shaykh ibn Ahmad, the rulership (now reduced to a shaykhdom and made a vassal of the
Zanzibar Sultanate) was given to
Fumo `Umar ibn Ahamd. Slavery was also formally abolished in Witu in March 1891, and Indian police were brought in to enforce the new agreement.
Second expedition (1893) A brother of
Fumo Bakari, by the name of
Fumo Oman, resisted the new regime and began leading increasingly violent raids on villages and farms around the nearby town of
Jongeni, northeast of Witu. A brief attempt at diplomacy failed, and the British and Zanzibari governments prepared a second naval expedition to sail to Witu. A small expeditionary force landed at Witu in July and a second request to negotiate was sent to Fumo Oman. It was rejected and the marines marched on the principal towns under rebel control. Thick forest and camouflaged pits with sharpened stakes surrounded the strongly fortified towns, and the rebel gunmen had prepared defensive positions that allowed for heavy fire. However, after prolonged and intense shoot-outs, the naval marines fought their way into each town, and destroyed the fortifications. Fumo Oman fled and Fumo 'Umari bin Hamid was reinstated.
Fumo 'Umari moved the capital to Jongeni, but the growth of British power and of the regional importance of
Zanzibar saw Witu's position and influence gradually decline. ==End of Witu==