British political ambitions How Sudan was pushed towards revolution The British sent their men into the service of the Egyptian government in Sudan, the homeland of Ismail Pasha – who thought he was pleasing them and diverting England's ambitions from his country by using their men and giving them unlimited authority. The British officials took up positions at the request and guidance of their government, so that they could dismantle the Egyptian Empire on the road to India and turn it into English colonies. So Samuel Baker in the Equatorial region and Gordon in Bahr el Ghazal, both of whom were Egyptian, were given unlimited authority. They used the law prohibiting slavery to anger the Sudanese who used slaves in their work, while they themselves engaged in trade and large businesses. They oppressed the people severely, resorting to killing, imprisonment, and confiscation of property under the pretext of implementing the treaty concluded between Ismail Pasha and England in 1877 to prevent slavery, even though the British were very lenient in their African possessions. In addition to the above, the British interfered with religion. Then they favored one tribe over another, exempting the Shayqiyya tribes from taxes, which angered other tribes. They also favored the followers of the Mirghaniyya Sufi order over other orders, thus creating envy among the followers of the orders. Following this was the neglect of the matter of Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi when he appeared. The appearance of those who claim to be the Mahdi in Sudan is very frequent. Since the re-conquest of Sudan until today, 15 Mahdis have appeared. If they had been neglected, their affair would have become serious. The great revolution, which was being instigated and encouraged by the political figures who were supporting them, intensified the matter. The era of the Khedive and others who served their policies, so the attention of the Egyptian government was diverted from the English in Egypt.