Egyptian Sudan 20 The Race to Sudan Marchand's Expedition and Kitchener's Expedition - McDonald's Expedition - Cavendish's Expedition Fashoda When negotiations between England and the Sublime Porte in '89 for the withdrawal of the English from Egypt concluded, Monsieur Brunet, the French member of the Egyptian Railway, sent a report to Monsieur Carnot, President of the French Republic and his fellow student, proposing the occupation of a point in Egyptian territory that would force England to protest and the European powers to open the Egyptian question. He suggested that this point be Fashoda in Egyptian Sudan (1) because its reach for the French was easy from their possessions in Africa (2), because it was the center of a province (3), and because it was the key to Egypt due to its location at the confluence of the Sobat River with the Nile. Monsieur Carnot saw the wisdom of this idea, and the Republic's government sent an expedition in '94. However, England intended to possess Sudan after forcing Egypt to evacuate it. On the one hand, from Uganda, after expelling Emin Pasha from the Equatorial region, Colonel Mouttet said, "England will not leave Egypt until it possesses Sudan and the road from Berber to Suakin." In '95, Marchand succeeded Mouttet as head of the Fashoda expedition, and France sent Monsieur Lefranc to the Nuba Mountains to form an expedition to counter Marchand, but he did not succeed. When the English sensed the French expedition and the failure of their expedition from Uganda, they sent the Egyptian expedition. When the Sirdar occupied Omdurman, he learned that Marchand had occupied Fashoda since July 10th, two months before the Sirdar's arrival in Omdurman. Marchand's force consisted of 120 Sudanese soldiers and 9 French officers. Lord Kitchener continued his advance to Fashoda, where he met Marchand and raised the Egyptian flag 500 yards from the French flag.