Thank you for posting a very pertinent and valid query. Actually the quote was mine, and I believe from my own attempts at establishing the lineage and development of these sabres about 15 or more years ago. The efforts however typically did not gain traction, so it is good to see the topic revived.
If you look at the open hilt, somewhat cylindrical without any sort of guard, it is remarkably similar to the Omani sword known as the 'kattara'. These open hilt broadswords are keenly associated with the Omani Sultanate of Zanzibar as seen in Burton (1885).
The idea I tried to advance in those times was that this distinct similarity was likely founded in the trade networks which connected Mali with the East African trade centers, including of course Zanzibar. Since the Omani traders were prominently represented in these trade networks, it does not seem implausible that the Manding, who were the controlling tribe and merchants themselves, would not have been influenced by the swords of the Omani.
The prevalent blades that occur in these Manding swords are typically of French origin with their availability (French West Africa), however there are numerous cases of German with trade volume of these present. The Tuareg takouba with curved blades (aljuinar) sometimes used similar sourced blades and I have even seen British 'Mole' blades on them.
As the kattara swords of Oman with these type open hilts (with knob or square pommel) are not believed to have begun much before early 19th century, it would seem to set the style of these Manding sabres in most probably mid 19th century. As the character of these hilts does not correspond to other hilt types in those Western regions, I am inclined to believe they must have been taken from the Omani hilts.
As with most of these African sword forms, they seem mostly to have been late comers to 'sword tradition' in Sahelian as well as Sudanese tribal cultures, with early 19th century being the start period. There were of course swords present with many of the ranking or noble individuals of probably European form, but in most cases, spears and such other edged forms were predominant tribally.
The influx of trade blades in the 19th century created the advance of sword culture and in the case of these Manding sabres, I believe they arose from Omani merchant influences coupled with those availabilities of blades from trade or colonial sources.
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