Editing Waalo (section)

===The French and the Desert===
In 1638, the French established the first permanent European trading settlement at the mouth of the Senegal River, moving to the site of [[Saint-Louis, Senegal|Saint-Louis]] in 1659 while facing consistent military and political pressure from the [[Brak (African kings)|Brak]].{{sfn|Barry|1972|p=116}} The French presence would have a decisive effect on the rest of the history of Waalo.

Partly in response to the shift in trade away from [[Berbers|Berber]] tribes to the French, [[Nasr ad-Din (Lamtuna)|Nasr ad-Din]], a Berber [[Marabout]], launched the [[Char Bouba War]] or the Marabout War, overthrowing the ruling aristocracy of Waalo (among other Senegal river kingdoms) in an attempt to establish an Islamic theocracy. Upon his death in 1674, however, his movement collapsed and the old hierarchies, aligned with Arab Hassan tribes north of the river and vigorously supported by the French, re-asserted themselves.{{sfn|Davis|p=169}}{{sfn|Barry|1972|p=148–50}}

During this same period, [[Morocco|Moroccan]] forces came south to the Senegal river, forcing the Brak to move the capital from Ngurbel to the south bank and permanently breaking the kingdom's control on the north side.{{sfn|Webb|1995|p=40}}