The Zabarma Emirate was an Islamic state that existed from the 1860s to 1897 in what is today parts of Ghana and Burkina Faso.
The leaders of the Zabarma Emirate, who belonged to the Zarma ethnicity from which the Emirate is named, originated in an area now in the nation of Niger, in an area south-east of Niamey on the east side of the Niger River.
The key moving force behind the state was Babatu who hailed from N'Dounga in Niger, a place that had been Muslim far longer than most of the other areas the Zabarma leadership came from, most of which became Muslim only in the 1850s or so.
History
The founders of the Zabarma Emirate were Muslim Zarma, a subgroup of the Songhai who speak the Zarma dialect.
After the Songhai campaign of 1516, some of them had settled in the newly conquered kingdom of Kebbi. After the defeat of the Songhai Empire in 1591, there was again a major wave of migration by the Zarma to these regions.
Although the Zarma have been consistently subject to Islamic influences since then, they have been able to withstand extensive Islamization for centuries. So it is not surprising that the Zarma Land was one of the primary goals in the great jihad of Usman dan Fodio (1790–1809) and was partially conquered by the Fulani jihadists. With the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate in 1809, parts of the Zarma Land became known as the Emirate of Kebbi; Western Province of the New Sokoto Empire. In 1860, there was an uprising against the occupying power in and around Kebbi with the help of other ethnic groups. The Zarma rebelled and succeeded in regaining political power and largely driving the Fulanis out of the country.
The genesis of their conversion to Islam was triggered by this uprising and the already existing general longing for a more just social order. Large parts of the population of Zarma Land turned to Islam during these years, which increasingly established itself as the main religion in these areas.
Due to the general devastation as a result of the "warlike" events and the resulting failures in vital areas of economic production, numerous Zarma increasingly concentrated on trade outside their national borders.
Kingdom of Dagbon
During this time, groups of Zarma warriors, among others, also made their way into the Kingdom of Dagbon, initially appearing as horse traders. The Dagbamba chiefs took their time paying for their horses, which led the Zarma to settle in Dagbon until they were paid for. During this time, Alfa Hanno and Alfa Gazari arrived in Dagbon after dedicating themselves to religious studies in the Gonja metropolis of Salaga. The Zarma in Dagbon chose Hanno as their leader, and he later became the leader of all Zarma who lived outside their homeland in Niger.
Dagbon was also engulfed in a civil war between Yakuba, the reigning Ya Naa, and his sons, and "punitive expeditions" were organized against neighboring peoples under the pretext that they had supported the other side. The Zarma participated as mercenaries in these expeditions, primarily in the campaigns of Adama, the then Na Karaga, and Abudullai, the then Na Kumbungu in Gurunsi land.
Despite their small numbers, the Zarma mercenaries were highly valued allies in the Dagbon army because they were relatively well-armed and experienced riders who knew how to fight with a high degree of internal unity and mobility. However, they remained only in a guest role within the Dagbon armed forces, based solely on unpaid debts of various Dagbon chiefs. In addition, the Zarma became increasingly unpopular in Dagbon due to their committed involvement in Dagbon's internal affairs. Property disputes also arose between Alfa Hanno and the Ya Naa.
The strained relationship between the Dagbamba and Zarma is evident in Isaka's demand that Alfa Gazari of the Zarma be appointed Uban Dawaki (cavalry of the Dagbon army) before the next expedition, which was generally rejected by the Dagbamba. Some time later, there was a definitive break between the Zarma and Dagbon, as the Ya Naa sent troops to the Zarma to first emphasize his own property demands. Subsequently, at the time of Alfa Gazari's inauguration as Hanno's successor, Andani, the chief of Savelugu, had been tasked by the Ya Naa to invade Gurunsi land and "bring back" the Zarmas, which violated a holy oath that the leaders of Dagbon and the Zarma had sworn on the Qur’an never to raise their hands against each other. This breach of trust finally sealed the end of the already strained Zarma-Dagbamba alliance.