In the eastern lower Logone valley formed out of the Kotoko population several historic sultanates (Kousseri, Logone-Birni, Makari-Goulfey and others) which were political dependent to the empires of Bornu or Baguirmi and belong today to Cameroon.
It is perhaps most famous as the possible birthplace of Abram Petrovich Gannibal, great-grandfather of Alexander Pushkin
It also sits astride one of several main routes between the Hausa populated territories of southern Niger and northern Nigeria, with the Nigerian transport and trade center of Illela, Sokoto State just 18 km to the south.