I believe it was slaves. From what I know, slaves were widespread all over Africa. I hope I helped.
Explanation:
Hermine "Miep" Gies (née Santrouschitz; 15 February 1909 – 11 January 2010) (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmip ˈxis]), was one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank, her family (Otto Frank, Margot Frank, Edith Frank-Holländer) and four other Dutch Jews (Fritz Pfeffer, Hermann van Pels, Auguste van Pels, Peter van Pels) ...