Ulteriori notizie sull'Impero Songhai .
Fonte come già in precedenza .
The western sudan is the lightly wooded grassland south of the Sahara desert. West sudenese nations whose armies are rapresented by the List include Ghana , mali , Songhai , Bornu , Kanem and the various Hause states. The period of the List is closed with the Moroccan destruction of the Songhai in 1591 AD , armies up to 1850 AD differed only in regard to the type of firearm used .
The Barde are the Chief bodyguard , usually kept in the rear of the army's centre as a last reserve .
The Yan Lifida are similar cavalry with both man and horse protected by thick quilted cotton armour , and formd the main offensive stricking force . Super heavy cavalry supplemented the quilts with mail for the rider .
Yan Kwarbai means "raiders" , they tired to envelop enemy wings while avoiding concentrated archery .
Zagy were attached to light cavalry units , but it is not clear if they had a formal fightong role or if they were just servants carryng spare weapons to replenish the horsemen .
The Yam Baka were nearly always the most numerous part of the army . They carried relatively weak bows , but their arrows were treated with a quick acting poison , the reason of the popularity of quilted armour . Altough deliberately lightly equipped so as to make full use of scrubpor tree cover , they were not skirmisher , but intended to be massed to produce decisive fire .
The others infantry types had a supporting role .
Yan Lifida Baka were archers in close formations with quilts , shields and spears .
Yan s'Mashi fought with javelins , sometimes poisoned , and shields .
Yan Asigiri had quilts , shiled and a metal hafted thrusting spear intended to stop cavalry .
Yan Fate Fate had a long stright sword , and could have quilts and a hevy shield , or just a light shield if intended for duels of chiampions . They acted ad a reserve for the centre and flanks respectively .
Mixed units combining speramen and bowmen do not appear to have been usual .
Yam Bindinga , like the Barde and Yan Lifida , were state slaves .
Firearms are first recorded between 1421 Ad and 1438 AD in Bornu and Kano .
An upgrade tyoe of cavalry is because a hly war to subdue the non Moslem states , although it was in fact delayed until after 1600 .
Cattle Herds until stampeded move at ox-cart speed , except that they do not count as vehicles .