In 1203, Soumaoro captured Koumbi, the old capital of Ghana. He conquered several neighbouring peoples, including nine other kingdoms in the early 1200s. Among these were the Mandinka in what is now Mali. Soumaoro killed all of the Mandinka king's sons except one. This son, Sundiata Keita, was a cripple, and Soumaoro did not believe him to be a threat.