The Sultanate of Sahel

The Sultanate of Sahel

A history of Sahel

The Sultanate of Sahel is actually a loose confederation of three major tribes that occupy land to the south and west of Zubia. During its history it has been part of the Harabian and then the Sofaman Empires, but when they declined, it regained its independence.

The position of sultan is not hereditary and is usually occupied by the most powerful of the current tribal leaders. In the past some sons have succeeded their fathers as sultan, but this is not the norm.

The people of the Sahel speak a common language (Bedawi).

Each of the tribes is divided into clans, and clans (and sometimes tribes) have been known to fight each other over the right to use pastureland for their herds of cattle. The sultan does not usually intervene in these conflicts unless it is his own tribe or clan that is involved. In such cases troops from his bodyguard (the only full-time professional Saheli soldiers) intervene to bring an end to the fighting.

The Saheli are warlike and often raid Zubian territory to seize cattle for their herds or to acquire supplies of metal. The Zubians claim that the Sultanate of Sahel is part of their territory, but any influence or control of the sultanate is at best tenuous.

The three major tribes of Sahel are:

• The Baggari
• The Sudani
• The Hadendowi

The economy of Sahel

The economy of the Sultanate is based on a mixture of semi-nomadic pastoralism, fishing, and small-scale agriculture. Skilled craftsmen in metal can be found in most of the larger settlements and the capital, but there is no large-scale industry.

The army of Sahel

The army of Sahel has the following units:

• Infantry
• 1/1st Baggari Infantry Regiment
• 2/1st Baggari Infantry Regiment
• 1/2nd Sudani Infantry Regiment
• 2/2nd Sudani Infantry Regiment
• 1/3rd Hadendowi Infantry Regiment
• 2/3rd Hadendowi Infantry Regiment
• 1/4th Baggari Infantry Regiment
• 2/4th Baggari Infantry Regiment
• 1/5th Baggari Infantry Regiment
• 2/5th Baggari Infantry Regiment
• 1/6th Baggari Infantry Regiment
• 2/6th Baggari Infantry Regiment
• 1/7th Baggari Infantry Regiment
• 2/7th Baggari Infantry Regiment
• 1/8th Sudani Infantry Regiment
• 2/8th Sudani Infantry Regiment
• 1/9th Sudani Infantry Regiment
• 2/9th Sudani Infantry Regiment
• 1/10th Sudani Infantry Regiment
• 2/10th Sudani Infantry Regiment
• 1/11th Hadendowi Infantry Regiment
• 2/11th Hadendowi Infantry Regiment
• 1/12th Hadendowi Infantry Regiment
• 2/12th Hadendowi Infantry Regiment
• 1/13th Hadendowi Infantry Regiment
• 2/13th Hadendowi Infantry Regiment
• 1/14th Hadendowi Infantry Regiment
• 2/14th Hadendowi Infantry Regiment

Units shown in italics are militia or reserve units.