Gouré

Gouré lies in the dry Sahel west of Lake Chad, among the lands of the Manga and their neighbours. It became the seat of Mouniyo, a province of Bornu, in the first half of the nineteenth century. Its ruler Kosso, a son of Ibrahim of Bouné, fortified the town and founded a market that became an important place in the trade in enslaved people.

Before Gouré became the centre of Mouniyo, its rulers had held their seat at Bouné. The move brought the court to a new stronghold in the country between Bornu and Damagaram. Around the town, cultivated gardens and the fortifications established by Kosso marked the growth of a settlement that would remain associated with the rulers of Mouniyo.