The withdrawal of the Egyptian army from Sudan in 1885 was not a political act, nor was it a voluntary abandonment of the country, leaving it without a ruler. Instead, it was a military necessity dictated by the circumstances. This is evident from the Khedivial decree of January 18, 1885, which placed the Sudan under the Egyptian Ministry of War. This arrangement remained in effect until the revolution, when the country was restored. The second piece of evidence is a letter from Boutros Pasha Ghali, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Lord Salisbury, in which he stated, "The decree of 1885 was not, at any time, an order from the Khedivial government to reoccupy the regions of Sudan, which are the source of Egypt's life. If they were temporarily withdrawn, it was due to overwhelming circumstances. The recapture of Khartoum alone would not achieve the desired goal if the entire Nile Valley, for which Egypt made immense sacrifices, were not returned to its hands. The Fashoda incident was merely a subject of discussion between Great Britain and France. The Egyptian government has requested your good offices with Lord Salisbury to recognize Egypt's inalienable rights and to return all regions that belonged to it until the Mahdist revolt. If Boutros Pasha Ghali's letter was used as an argument against France at Fashoda, it also serves as a strong argument against the British to this day. The British relied on this letter and the report of Gordon, who was appointed in 1884, in their discussions with France regarding the borders of Egyptian Sudan.