Sayfawa mais remain titular monarchs of Kanem-Borno…

Sayfawa mais remain titular monarchs of Kanem-Borno until 1846, when the last mai, in league with Wadai tribesmen, precipitate a civil war.

It is at this point that Muhammad al-Kânemî's son, Umar, becomes king, thus ending one of the longest dynastic reigns in regional history.

Although the dynasty ends, the kingdom of Kanem-Borno survives, but Umar, who eschews the title mai for the simpler designation shehu (from the Arabic "shaykh"), cannot match his father's vitality and gradually allows the kingdom to be ruled by advisers (wazirs).

Borno begins to decline, as a result of administrative disorganization, regional particularism, and attacks by the militant Wadai Empire to the east.

The decline will continue under Umar's sons, and in 1893 Rabih Fadlallah, leading an invading army from eastern Sudan, will conquer Borno.