Some great questions here. Most notably, why in the world would a native armourer fabricate a hollow ground blade in European style, only to be dramatically ground down and cut down along with completely changing the tip? Further, why and how would they do that from scrap?
The Manding regions expand throughout French West Africa, with those French occupied regions including Mauritania, Mali (French Sudan), French Guinea, Cote d' Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Dahomey and Niger.
To the north were French occupied regions of Algeria, later Tunisia and Morocco.
I do not find it surprising that with this presence throughout these regions that military sabre blades would become available to native armourers. It should be noted of course that while French blades were typically from French producers they were also widely from Solingen. In the case of this extremely 'worked' blade there is no longer the opportunity for normal identification from markings.
It seems worthy to note as well that trade blades of course were heavily brought into North Africa through various points to be traded into Saharan and Sudanese regions, but these were typically broadsword blades, not sabre blades.
I would mention again the Tuareg curved versions of the takouba (termed ajuinar) are known in Mali and another I have seen from Burkina Faso had a British curved sabre blade by MOLE. Others have been seen with marked French sabre blades, but as noted, these are not typically reduced down like this one.
The distinct resemblance of the Manding sabre to the cylindrical hilt of the Omani 'kattara' (and examples of these with curved blades) as noted do bring thoughts toward a connection.
It would seem that any connections or similarities must have been transmitted through networking and of course not by direct contact with Omani merchants or slavers. I have pointed out influences between Zanzibar and as far as Morocco and of course Mali in the open cylindrical hilt of these sabres and the 'Zanzibar' sword and their similarities, but must admit these remain circumstantial.
While Omani traders did not move inland, other Arab traders connected did set up bases and networks on the mainland. It is through these networks that I believe any influences must have been diffused. It is interesting that the Maasai sword with cylindrical hilt known as the seme' seems to have been in the direct path and regions of these networks.
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