Xavier Coppolani

Xavier Coppolani was a French military and colonial leader, who was instrumental in the colonial occupation and creation of modern-day Mauritania.

Born to Corsican parents in French-ruled Algeria, he was transferred to Senegal to lead the expansion of colonial rule north of the Senegal river, where Moorish tribes held firm against French rule. Their tribal rivalries provided Coppolani with an opportunity, and in 1901, he drew up a plan for moving into the territory with a combination of military and political strategies.