Idris Alooma

Idris Alooma reigned as mai (king) of the Kanem-Bornu Empire around the Lake Chad basin in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, roughly 1571 to 1603. He brought the empire to a peak of power, in part by importing firearms and employing musket-armed troops obtained through diplomatic ties with the Ottoman Empire and North Africa. He campaigned widely to secure the trade routes of the central Sudan and is credited with administrative and legal reforms grounded in Islamic law. His reign was chronicled by his imam, Ahmad ibn Furtu.