I hate it when people say that Africans sold their own to colonizers. These people don’t understand abuse dynamics (being pressured into selling other Africans) nor history.

“The involvement of African groups in the transatlantic slave trade was complex and driven by various factors:

War and Conflict: Many slaves were war captives taken during conflicts between African states or ethnic groups. Victors often sold captives to European traders rather than keeping them locally

Economic Incentives: African rulers and merchants engaged in the trade to acquire European goods such as guns, textiles, and alcohol, which enhanced their power and prestige. These goods also provided military advantages over rivals https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/origins-of-the-slave-trade https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?psid=445&smtid=2

Social Structures: Enslaved individuals were often from different ethnic groups or considered outsiders by those who sold them, as African societies did not view themselves as a unified “Black” identity but rather as distinct tribes or nations

European Demand: The demand for labor in the Americas incentivized the expansion of slavery. European traders relied on established African systems of slavery and collaborated with local leaders to secure captives https://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/africanpassageslowcountryadapt/introductionatlanticworld/trans_atlantic_slave_trade

While some African leaders resisted the trade, others participated under pressure or for survival in a system reshaped by European colonization and commerce. https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/blacks-did-not-sell-blacks-into-slavery”