In the early part of the year 1884, the Mahdi, Abd al-Rahman al-Ghawri, arrived in Berber, and from there he proceeded to Dongola with all the tribes loyal to him. The Khalifa Sharif arrived in Dongola in the latter part of the year and took the city of al-Ardi, the base of Dongola's administration, as his camp. He sent detachments of his army south to Halfa, and we will return to mention his news of his death in the battle of Tush and al-Luwaiq.

The revolt of Darfur and its subjugation.

When Khalid Zagl left Darfur, a man named Yusuf, from the descendants of the Sultans of Darfur, took control of the country from the Ansar whom Zagl had left there. He was proclaimed Sultan over the regions of Darfur, as his ancestors had been. The Mahdi wrote to Uthman Adam Jaw, urging the people of Kordofan to advance to Darfur to subjugate it. Uthman Adam Jaw gathered about ten thousand fighters, armed with firearms, and attacked al-Fashir, the capital of Darfur. Sultan Yusuf fought bravely, and his forces defended valiantly, saving the people of Darfur. Sultan Yusuf was killed, and the country submitted to the Mahdist rule. Uthman Adam Jaw took control and, with the help of the raid, captured the villages around Darfur. He gathered about ten thousand fighters, armed with firearms. He sent a detachment from Darfur to the Mahdi, as was customary. He sent more than three hundred girls from Darfur as a gift to the Mahdi, who was pleased.