What role did Africans themselves play in the continuation of the Atlantic trade of enslaved people?

Africans played various roles in the continuation of the transatlantic slave trade, including capturing and enslaving individuals from rival groups during intertribal warfare, serving as middlemen in the trade by capturing people and selling them to European slave traders, and participating in the transportation of enslaved individuals to the coast for sale. However, it's important to note that African participation in the slave trade was complex and often forced or influenced by European colonial powers and traders.