Dr Papis Comakha Fall revisits Senegambia under French rule April 23, 2026
In a well-researched work, Dr Papis Comakha Fall sheds new light on the central role of the army, the gendarmerie and the police in the conquest and colonial management of Senegambia in the 19th and 20th centuries. Between unpublished archives, scientific documentation, critical reading of the past and duty of memory, the Senegalese historian signs a major contribution to contemporary West African history.
ZIGUINCHOR- Behind the administrative facades of colonization hid a fearsomely organized mechanism. Rifles, mobile brigades, population surveillance, territorial control, etc. It is this architecture of colonial power that Dr Papis Comakha Fall dissects in his work “Army, gendarmerie and police: tools of repression and maintenance of colonial order in Senegambia in the 19th and 20th centuries”, prefaced by Professor Arnaud-Dominique Houte. Doctor in contemporary history, graduate of Sorbonne University and 19th century history center attached to Panthéon Sorbonne Paris 1, the researcher delivers here an in-depth study of more than 200 pages.
His work is based on a vast archival investigation carried out at the national archives of Senegal in Dakar, the diplomatic archives of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the Defense Historical Service in Paris. Through this publication, the temporary teacher at Assane Seck University in Ziguinchor shows how the colonial army, the gendarmerie and the police constituted the pillars of a system intended to impose French domination in West Africa. And Senegambia was the point of a strategic anchorage.
Senegambia, a strategic territory
Why did you choose Senegambia as a study space? Dr. Fall provides a clear answer. “Senegambia represented a real gateway to taking control of the West African space. It served as a strategic base for colonial expansion inland,” the history and geography professor told “Soleil”. According to him, the 19th and 20th centuries mark a decisive period in African history. “This pivotal moment profoundly transformed the political, economic and socio-cultural structures of the continent. It was also crossed by strong protests and armed resistance,” specifies Dr Fall. Thus, the work places colonization in a context of permanent tensions, far from a linear or passive reading of history. The book recalls that several political, royal and religious figures put up determined resistance to the colonial advance.
“Many political leaders, kings but also religious guides stood up against colonization to preserve their sovereignty and defend the values of African societies,” continues the teacher who holds a Secondary Education Certificate. Faced with these oppositions, the colonial administration relied on its security instruments. For the author, the role of the army, the gendarmerie and the police was decisive. “These three institutions largely contributed to making the project of French domination possible,” relates Dr. Papis Comakha Fall.
Survey the space and monitor populations
One of the major contributions of the work lies in the analysis of the methods of territorial control put in place by the colonial authorities. Dr Fall describes the gradual installation of military posts and gendarmerie brigades throughout the Senegambian area, particularly along the rivers. “These establishments made it possible to crisscross the territory, control the movement of goods and be informed of the actions of the populations,” he maintains. In other words, colonial security was not just about maintaining order. In Mr. Fall’s opinion, it also served to organize the economic, political and social surveillance of the conquered territories.
Associate researcher at the History-Gendarmerie-Security and Territories Chair (Higeset) in Paris, Dr Papis Comakha Fall offers a rigorous reading of an often little-explored part of regional history. His book, divided into two large parts, questions the institutional roots of colonial coercion while giving back their place to African resistance. At a time when African societies are revisiting their past to better understand their present, this publication appears to be a valuable work. Because by recounting how the colonial order was imposed by weapons, surveillance and coercion, the historian also recalls that memory remains an essential terrain of sovereignty.
