Invasion of Darfur (1916)

Invasion of Darfur
Part of the First World War
Map of Darfur in 1914.
Date 16 March – 6 November 1916 (7 months and 3 weeks) Location Darfur, now part of Sudan 13°00′N 25°00′E / 13.000°N 25.000°E / 13.000; 25.000 Result Anglo-Egyptian victory Territorial changes Darfur becomes a province of Sudan
Belligerents
British Empire  Sultanate of Egypt	Sultanate of Darfur Supported by:  Ottoman Empire [citation needed] Senussi
Commanders and leaders
Reginald Wingate Philip Kelly	Ali Dinar † Ramadan Ali † Sulayman Ali †
Units involved
Elements of Mounted Infantry Camel Corps 13th Sudanese Infantry 14th Sudanese Infantry 14th Egyptian Infantry Arab Battalion	Fur Army
Strength
2,000 all ranks	4,000–6,000 riflemen unknown number of auxiliaries armed with spears
Casualties and losses
5 dead 23 wounded	231+ dead 1,096+ wounded[a]

The invasion of Darfur was the military invasion and occupation of the Sultanate of Darfur by the British Empire and the Sultanate of Egypt from 16 March to 6 November 1916. The sultan of Darfur, Ali Dinar, had been reinstated by the British after their victory in the Mahdist War but during the First World War he grew restive, refusing his customary tribute to the Sudanese government and showing partiality to the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

The Sirdar, Reginald Wingate, then organized a force of around 2,000 men; under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Kelly, the force entered Darfur in March 1916 and decisively defeated the Fur Army at Beringia and occupied the capital al-Fashir in May. Ali Dinar had already fled to the mountains and his attempts to negotiate surrender were eventually broken off by the British. His location becoming known, a small force was sent after him and the sultan was killed in action in November 1916. Darfur was fully annexed to the British administration of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and remained part of Sudan upon its independence.
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