The main bond between the Soninke was considered their kinship, and they were led, at the time of the beginning of the conflict, by Suling Jatta, the King of Kombo.

They were considered strongest at Gunjur, a town that had been Muslim for a longer time than the rest of Kombo, and had itself effectively declared independence in 1840.

There is some evidence to suggest that emissaries from North Africa and the Mediterranean coast had arrived in Senegal and the Gambia had been preaching a Jihad against non-Islamic communities.

In early 1852, Richard Graves MacDonnell, the Governor of the Gambia, issued a proclamation warning against people in British territory supplying arms or ammunition to either belligerent in the conflict.

Lieutenant Colonel Luke Smythe O'Connor, who had by that point replaced MacDonnell as Governor, was instructed to use his discretion to put an end to the conflict.

This included an armed party from HMS Teazer, 463 soldiers of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd West India Regiments, 35 pensioners, and 105 men of the Gambia Militia.

At about 400 yards from the stockade, the field battery opened fire, and after a few rounds the roof of the mosque and the surrounding houses had gone up in flames.

[5] Significant disorder then occurred in the Gambian ranks, and Lieutenant Colonel O'Connor took this opportunity and decided to storm the town.

The British soldiers were directed to occupy the houses enclosing the square and keep suppressing fire on the mosque until the rockets could be brought up.

[5] Following the successful British storming of Sabbajee, O'Connor attempted to mediate between the Soninke and Fodi Kabba of Gunjur, the Marabout leader.

[needs context] Omar had been involved in Abdelkader's rising against the French in Algeria in 1847, and preached Haji Ismail's Jihad in Sabbajee.

Omar had some military training and organisational skill, and in early 1855 began planning an attack by a large Marabout force against the British settlements in Kombo.

This consisted of the Queen's Advocate (Lieutenant Davis), a group of constables, and two officers with a sergeant's party from the 2nd and 3rd West India Regiments.

The party retreated back to Jeshwang and took refuge in the house of James Finden, the Colonial Engineer and Officer Commanding the Gambia Militia.

It was decided that Finden should rush to raise the alarm, while the rest of the party, with the wounded officers, should evacuate to Cape House near Bakau.

At Bakau Konko, a former Sergeant of the West India Regiments named Sankey, and a number of other pensioners, came to the party's assistance and kept the Marabout advance in check.

O'Connor was able to find the three wounded officers at Cape St. Mary's on the evening of 16 July, and also met up with 25 pensioners under Sergeant Sankey.

[6] 960: Early on the morning of 17 July, the whole force, which totaled 266 men, marched on Sabbajee, meeting no resistance until it arrived at the woods of Bakkow.

The units of the West India Regiments still held their ground, but after half an hour, decided to withdraw also, as their lines of retreat were being cut off.

During the Soninke–Marabout Wars, the Marabouts launched numerous jihads and surprise attacks in Saloum and other Serer lands causing severe damage and deaths.

When Maba and his Muslim–Marabout allies tried to launch jihad and subdue the Serer precolonial Kingdom of Sine, he was defeated at the Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune by Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof and slain to death.

On 26 July, the coalition army and Cherno's band of Serer warriors proceeded to clear the Muslim enemy out of the bush country between Oyster Creek and Cape St Mary.

For three days, there were sharp skirmishes, which resulted in the Serers losing a number of men but the Muslims were eventually driven back.

With preparation complete, the combined British and French force marched from Cape St. Mary's on 4 August, assisted by an irregular contingent of 600 loyal natives.

[13][7] No resistance was encountered until the wood of Bakkow, where the Marabouts showed in great numbers, and opened heavy fire on the British from the shelter of the forest.

It took two hours of tough fighting, during which the West India Regiments repulsed four flank attacks with their bayonets, before the force could make it through the passage.

After only firing a few rounds, a large body of Marabouts from Brufut made a sudden attack on the British flank, charging with brandished scimitars.

This attack was met by a party of French Marines and detachments from the 1st and 2nd West India Regiments, who fired a volley at very close range before engaging at bayonet point.

[13] As well as wounds sustained by O'Connor and Lieutenant Armstrong, other British casualties included Staff-Surgeon Hendley and Colonel Finden of the Gambia Militia.

[14] As a result of this stalemate, the Marabouts sent emissaries to Demba Sonko, King of Barra, to request his mediation with the British government.