History of Africa

Who sold people into slavery in Africa?

The answer is African elites.

Many people blame the slave trade solely on Western powers, but the fact is that a large part of the blame rests with the African elites who were complicit in the trade. The slave trade in Africa was a collaboration between African chiefs and European traders. African elites were the ones who captured other Africans, conducted slave raids, and then sold them to the European slave traders. In many cases, the African chiefs and elites were the main beneficiaries of the slave trade, as they received goods such as guns, alcohol, and other luxury items in exchange for the slaves.