Mahmud ibn Zarkun

Mahmud ibn Zarkun, also known as Mahmud ben Zergun (Arabic: محمود بن زرقون, Maḥmūd ibn Zarqūn), was a Maghrebi eunuch who rose to the rank of pasha. For a time, he served as the commander of all renegades during the Saadian rule. He succeeded Judar Pasha as the main commander of the Saadian invasion of the Songhai Empire from 1591 to 1595. During the battle of Bamba, he defeated Askia Ishaq II and later killed his successor, Askia Muhammad Gao, through a deceitful trap. He continued fighting against Askia Nuh, who succeeded Muhammad. Mahmud was responsible for the repression and plunder of Timbuktu. Ahmad al-Mansur condemned him to death, but before the executioner could carry out the sentence, Mahmud died in a suicidal battle against the Songhai forces on 15 March 1595 near the Niger River.