Jim,
I can't say much about other areas, but since Greater Sudan (Darfur to Ethiopia) in the 19th Century would be an intervening area between Oman and Manding, it may be relevant. Of course slaving had been endemic for centuries due to the non-Muslim (Christian and animist) populations south and east of Egypt.
But before I go there, have we considered the possible role of the Portuguese shipping trade. They were active with trading and slaving concessions in both West & East Africa especially in the 16th & 17 centuries. Local people from both regions could have become part of ship crews and even staff and exposed each other to their material culture.
Slaves (men, women and children) were often used regionally as farm & household labor. Arabised Sudanese didn't do labor, but used slaves. Many even used for slave armies and not exported. Of course, many were walked to Cairo for military service there. Annually several young boy slaves were castrated and shipped to Cairo as eunuchs. Remember the Mamluks were themselves slaves from the Balkans and later the Russian steppes.
The Ottomans from 1821 onward made government sponsored raids mainly to replenish their military. The catchment area for Darfur and eastward were the Nuba areas in S. Kordofan. They were preferred as soldiers. (Nuba were the Mahdi's riflemen.) Many tribes from the upper Nile were not considered as good laborers or soldiers. Those not used regionally went to Cairo.
The Funj raided heavily in the Ethiopian borderlands and preferred their women. Many were shipped to Egypt as well as to Arabia via Red Sea ports.
Walking slaves to either coast was logistically complex and lots of losses resulted. Ivory was carried on camels and was a more efficient export commodity.
Regards,
Ed
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