British political ambitions The conquest of Sudan and the 1899 agreement The Egyptian army, led by Sirdar Kitchener Pasha, advanced and met the Sudanese at Akasha on May 1, 1896. On June 7, they captured Ferkeh, 450 miles from Halfa. On August 25, they reached Koshah, and on September 22, they reached Dongola (1). Their vanguard advanced to Omdurman, and the British returned to Egypt to rest. Sirdar Kitchener was hosted at a banquet where Lord Cromer spoke, saying, "The recapture of Dongola Province is but the first step. The time has come for the Egyptian flag to fly over the ramparts of Khartoum."

(1) The Dongola campaign consisted of 1253 cavalry, 953 artillerymen, 18 cannons, 618 camel corps, and eight Egyptian infantry battalions. These were battalions formed after the army's dissolution in '83, and five Sudanese battalions formed during the Mahdist revolt, totaling 10,715 fighters. They were followed by 1601 staff officers and 942 irregular soldiers, and 600 porters, for a total of 16,680, including 700 officers. Before the army's advance, a new Sudanese battalion and two Egyptian battalions were established, and the Sirdar recruited over a thousand men from the Ababda, Kabaysh, and Aliqat tribes to guard the western and eastern deserts. England supplied this campaign with 870 men from some engineers and artillerymen and sent a contingent of Indians who occupied Aswan. The campaign included 5,000 Nubians and Abyssinians and ten companies of short-statured Sudanese soldiers, and three companies for the campaign. A battalion was recruited to lay railway lines. For transport, there were 12 gunboats and 7 armored boats. After the Battle of Atbara on April 8, 1898, and the defeat of Prince Mahmoud's army, the Sirdar prepared to advance on Khartoum. He increased the railway battalions, extending them from Abu Hamed to Atbara, and extended the telegraph line from Berber to Suakin. England sent another contingent to aid him in his advance. The army that marched on Khartoum consisted of 4 British cavalry battalions, 9 Egyptian cavalry battalions, 8 camel corps companies, 2 British artillery batteries, 5 Egyptian artillery batteries, and a British infantry division composed of two battalions or 8 companies, and an Egyptian division of 16 companies. The total was 25,000 men, supported by a contingent of Arab volunteers. The Nile fleet had three gunboats, bringing their total to twenty. The Khalifa's army numbered about 52,000, including 5,495 cavalry, and 14,300 men armed with rifles. The decisive battle took place at dawn on Friday, October 2, 1898, on the Karari plain. Ten thousand Dervishes were killed, and more than that number were wounded. 490 British and Egyptian soldiers were killed or wounded. British casualties included three officers and 24 soldiers. Egyptian casualties included two officers and 27 soldiers. British wounded included 8 officers and 125 soldiers, and Egyptian wounded included 15 officers and 286 soldiers.