Thread by @ManjaKoi

The Anglo-Vai war began this month in May 1883, 140 years ago.

The Vai people of the Gallinas in modern day #SierraLeone 🇸🇱and #Liberia 🇱🇷 fought the #British Empire 🇬🇧.
Manja Gbili led a Guerrilla war against the odds resisting the British imperial army.

A #history thread🧵…

The British excuse for attacking the Vai and take their territory was to wipe out the slave trade in the area.
The issue is the Vai hadn’t participated in the Slave trade for decades.

The British just wanted to take control of the local trade in palm oil and salt and steal land.

The Gallinas region was also a valuable crossroads historically between the Vai and neighboring Ethnic groups Liberia and the Freetown Colony.
This land sat at the end of the Mano river with excellent access to the sea.
Manja Gbili’s town Kpanaki sat in the middle of this region.

The British Governor of Sierra Leone A.E.H Wilmot sent two Frigates and three infantry Battalions to attack the Vai held Gallinas region.

Manja Gbili rallied his peoples warriors to stage a defense of their land. A few thousand men armed with flintlocks bows spears and swords.

The Frigates the British used gave them a supreme advantage on the coast, armed with cannons the British could bombard coastal Vai villages.
Chief Gbili had to retreat the forest and use Guerrilla tactics.
The infantry would regularly get ambushed and have a much harder time.

The British offensive started off well, but the terrain and Manja Gbili’s troops slowed down the British offensive to a crawl.

The British expected a quick and easy campaign that would last weeks, but the war began to drag on for months.

The Vai where still outnumbered and outgunned.
Looking for Allies the neighboring Vai in the east agreed to join the new State of Liberia 🇱🇷.

This agreement made it so the British would never attack Cape Mount because Liberia had been on good terms with Britain at the time.

Chief Gbili was not saved by this treaty however. The Gallinas region sat right on the new border and the British still controlled his regions coastline.

He agreed to sign a peace treaty with the British in November of 1883. The British would get the Gallinas with the Vai and…

Manja Gbili able to retain certain rights over their land.

The British seized the land east of the Mano river to the Sierra Leone colony 🇸🇱 🇬🇧.
Most Vai choose Liberia over Britain.
Today the vast majority of Vai live in Liberia 🇱🇷 with many Vai villages still on the border.

End of 🧵

Many Liberian presidents saw the Gallinas as stolen Liberian land, many making a fuss about it, but never took the step of invading Sierra Leone to get it back.

This border dispute over the Mano river has its roots in the Anglo Vai war.
Thanks for reading 👋🏿