Dunama II Dibalemi

Dunama II (Dunama bin ʿAbd al-Jalīl), called Dunama Dibalemi and Dunama Selmami, was mai (ruler) of the Kanem–Bornu Empire in the early-to-mid 13th century, ruling approximately 1221–1259. Dunama is remembered as one of the most energetic and influential rulers of the empire.

Dunama was an accomplished warrior-king who oversaw several important military innovations, possibly including the introduction of both cavalry warfare and mail armor. His reign was marked by successful efforts of military and economic expansion, an increasingly feudal political system, increased diplomatic ties with North Africa and Egypt, and further Islamization of the empire. Dunama brought Kanem to the peak of its power, leaving the empire as the most powerful state in Central Africa by the time of his death.