Ballé

Ballé lies in the Bakhounou country of the western Sahel, south of the desert edge. Its villages occupy dry plains where seasonal rains support grain cultivation and livestock. The surrounding region forms part of the old Wagadu country associated with the history of ancient Ghana. Communities here maintained connections across the Sahel between the Senegal and Niger basins, while the approach of the Sahara to the north made water and pasture especially dependent on the seasons.