Walter Rodney called the West African coastal towns who sided with Europeans during the slave

trade "Local
Mulatto mercenaries," since they came to prominence by selling their own people into slavery. The Europeans
duped the mercenaries and lavished them with gifts in exchange for their cooperation in acquiring additional
slaves for commerce. As a result of their desire for authority and wealth, these individuals plotted to abduct and
kill their fellow Africans in order to trade them for weapons and things from Europe. As a result, the slave trade
began, decimating African kingdoms like the ones of Kongo-Angola and the Yoruba, and bringing untold
suffering to the people of Africa. Since the smaller West African cultures lacked the resources to defend
themselves against the mercenaries, who could easily organize large numbers of fighting-age men and use
powerful armaments such as rifles, they were easy prey for slave raids.