A new empire has arisen along the banks of the Niger River (Muslim traders from the north recently have told me of this). This kingdom, equal to the great states of Ghana and Mali, is the creation of a king called Sunni Ali Ber. But Sunni Ali died a most mysterious death. Some say he drowned in a flooded river at Kuni. But others note that this river would be dry at the time of year when he died and claim that he was killed by Mamar, his sister's son.

After Sunni Ali's death, war broke out between two who desired his throne. The first was Sunni Baru, Sunni Ali's son, who refused to accept Islam completely. The other was Askia Muhammad, a general, who was more than happy to declare himself the leader of the faithful. Despite having the smaller army, Askia Muhammad triumphed and inherited Sunni Ali's great empire.

Like many of the states in the interior of West Africa, much of Songhai's power arises from its control of the caravan traffic across the desert, especially the trade in gold and salt. But commerce alone does not give this great state its power. Its rulers also have used slave labor to make bountiful farms along the Niger River.