French Sahara = The countries that were part of the French colonial empire in Africa that encompassed the Sahara and the bordering areas. Gabus used this term to describe the areas he researched.

See http://courses.wcupa.edu/jones/his312/lectures/fren-occ.htm for a nice map.

I didn't say the Vichy regime had anything to do with Syrian traders. I mentioned Vichy France for completeness since Syria was under that regime for a few years.