The Mahdists informed the Sultan of the fall of El Obeid, the capital of Kordofan, into the hands of the Mahdi. He was dismayed by this disaster, but he did not despair. He urged those around him to not be disheartened by this calamity, which had diminished his joy.

The opinion of Abd al-Qadir Pasha on saving El Obeid.

We have mentioned what happened with the Mahdi's army, and that when he resolved to march to Kordofan, he sent his men to incite rebellion and disobedience around Khartoum, to distract Abd al-Qadir Pasha from paying attention to Kordofan and reinforcing its garrison. His policy was crowned with success, as the Mahdi managed to seize the capital of Kordofan and eliminate the government's influence in that region.

However, after Abd al-Qadir Pasha achieved victory at Wad al-Mahi, another obstacle remained: the presence of a Mahdist preacher who gathered a large army in the region of Karkoj, south of Sinnar, and threatened to advance towards it. Al-Kashni, after his defeat at Wad al-Mahi, had retreated to the White Nile, but his return to Sinnar was anticipated. At this time, Abd al-Qadir Pasha was in Khartoum, where several contingents of Egyptian soldiers, led by General Hicks Pasha, had arrived. A detachment of these troops marched to pursue Ibn al-Kashni in the White Nile region, and their operations were crowned with success.

Abd al-Qadir Pasha's opinion was that the government should provide him with money and men. He would leave a garrison in Omdurman and around Khartoum, and he would advance towards...