Gorée, casse-tête de la défense française des colonies en Sénégambie, 1677-1817

The strategic significance of Gorée Island, located off the Cape Verde Peninsula, made it a highly contested site for Western powers aiming to control trade and slavery along the Sénégambian coast from the 16th to 18th centuries. Despite France's ambition to establish Gorée as a defensive platform to secure its thriving tropical product and slave trade, repeated setbacks—primarily due to administrative failures of charter companies and conflicts between state authorities and commercial entities—hindered its long-term control. The study reveals that these challenges weakened the military and administrative infrastructure critical for protecting Gorée, highlighting systemic inefficiencies in colonial governance that persisted over decades.

Bassène, D. A. (2014). Gorée, casse-tête de la défense française des colonies en Sénégambie, 1677-1817. Défense et Colonies Dans Le Mode Atlantique, 249–262. https://doi.org/10.4000/books.pur.61943