The Mandinka, Malinke (also known as Mandinko or Mandingo) is a West African ethnic group with an estimated global population of eleven million (the other three major ethnic groups in the region being the non-related Fula, Hausa and Songhai). They belong to the larger Mandé group of peoples.They are the descendants of the Mali Empire, which rose to power under the rule of the Mandinka king Sundiata Keita.