Egyptian Sudan The Egyptian occupation of Sudan began in 1821. The Egyptian Empire's possession of Sudan and their desire to remain there were met with political and financial turmoil, and the threat of the Mahdist uprising in Sudan. Gordon described the Mahdist movement as a "movement of the masses" after the British intensified their efforts to suppress slavery and the slave trade, which drove people to join the Mahdi. After filling Sudan with foreign elements and marginalizing Egyptians and Sudanese, they occupied Egypt and prevented its government from revolting, until they were forced to withdraw.

The argument of Sir Evelyn Baring (Lord Cromer) was that Egypt's budget could bear the cost of Sudan, which was £100,000 annually. This claim was a means to sever Sudan from Egypt, as the cost of border security later required many times this expense, and Egypt spent £1,000,000 annually on the occupation army. When they sent Gordon to evacuate Sudan, the revolutionaries confiscated Egyptian property and money, amounting to £1,000,000. Egypt paid off Gordon's debts during his siege to rescue him, in addition to the loss of 50,000 Egyptian soldiers who died in Sudan after their deployment, as well as Egyptian merchants' shops, property, and possessions, castles, fortifications, and commercial vessels. Later, the cost of regaining Sudan amounted to nearly seven million pounds. All this money was spent over 10 years, an economic expenditure of £100,000 paid annually or biennially. They wanted to economize, but they wanted to separate Sudan and then regain it, not for the benefit of Egypt.