Volta-Bani War
1915 CE.
Shown on the map at 12.463°, -3.460°.
The Volta-Bani War was an anti-colonial rebellion that mostly took place in the area between the Bani River and the Volta River (now modern Burkina Faso and Mali) between 1915 and 1917. It was fought between a heterogeneous coalition of villages and the Troupes coloniales. Fighting also occurred between the coalition and villages that were either loyal to the French government or sought to remain neutral. Around one thousand villages joined the rebellion representing up to 900,000 people. At peak strength, the rebels could gather 20,000 to 30,000 men, with approximately up to 130,000 people having fought against the French throughout the war. French authorities mobilized 5,000 troops, mostly Senegalese Tirailleurs and local auxiliaries, who were better equipped and supported by six cannon and four machine-gun units. The total number of deaths is impossible to determine with many poorly documented battles occurring between the coalition and villages that either refused to join them or had sided with the French. At least 30,000 Africans, including civilians, were killed, compared to around 300 French soldiers.
Text from the Wikipedia article Volta-Bani War, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.