The Moroccan invasion at the end of the sixteenth century destroys the Songhai empire and creates a period of social and political instability that provides an opportunity for the formation of other states such as Ségou. Increased contact with European merchants along the Atlantic coast draws trade away from traditional routes in the interior, and increased slave trading causes hardship among the local populations. The continuing spread of Islam throughout the region results in two waves of militant Muslim reform leading to the creation of several theocratic states.