Logone-Birni

Logone-Birni was a royal centre of the Kotoko on the floodplains south of Lake Chad. Its walled town stood among a group of riverine cities whose people combined fishing and farming with crafts and regional trade. Local tradition connects the place with the earlier Sao, and the ruler of Logone came to lead a confederation of southern Kotoko communities.

In 1824 the traveller Dixon Denham described Logone as the capital of a substantial kingdom, with a busy market and looms in many houses. Its dyed cloth was prized in the wider region, especially the large garments known as tobes, coloured blue or black. Around 1830 the kingdom became tributary to Bornu, offering cloth and captives while retaining its own ruler and court.