Sultan Senoussi

Muhammad al-Sanusi was appointed Sultan of Dar al-Kuti in 1890 with the backing of Rabih az-Zubayr. Establishing his capital at Ndélé, Sultan Senoussi built the colossal Tata of Ndélé, a heavily fortified stone and earth citadel perched atop a granite plateau featuring extensive palaces, arsenals, and subterranean grain vaults.

For two decades, Senoussi ruled a vast domain stretching across northern Central Africa. When French colonial authorities attempted to disarm him and seize direct tax administration in 1910, Senoussi took up arms. On January 12, 1911, encircled at his citadel by French colonial troops under Captain Modat, Sultan Senoussi was killed in heavy fighting, marking the end of the independent northern sultanates.