The railway will extend from Sennar to the fertile Gezira region by building a large railway on the Blue Nile. It will begin in Sennar and will be completed in two years. The exact route of this railway has not yet been finalized, but it is expected that the original line will deviate towards the White Nile and then proceed to the White Nile, crossing the country until it approaches the vast forests of Kordofan.

As for irrigation projects in Sudan, they include studying various projects to increase irrigation water in the Gezira and obtaining information on levels and other matters related to the canals in the Gezira. This is a project aimed at cultivating large areas of land, especially for cotton. Significant progress has been made in land surveying and ownership settlement in the Gezira, Berber, Dongola, and Khartoum provinces in preparation for the expansion of agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture in Sudan has been working on irrigation projects since the Nile's low levels in 1900.

The northern regions of the country benefited from the heavy rains that fell that year, and the Arabs cultivated large areas of land watered by rain between the Nile and Suakin and other places, but locusts destroyed the crops before harvest.

It is difficult to ascertain the exact population, but there is no doubt that it is increasing rapidly and has exceeded two million. The number of Europeans, merchants, craftsmen, and financiers has increased significantly, and this increase is evident in the Khartoum province. Lord Cromer estimated in 1901 that there were 1500 Europeans in Sudan. The number of Abyssinians, Egyptians, and Indians is also significant. According to the latest figures sent to you, the number of Europeans is now 1700.

The number of workers is still less than what is required by the government, companies, and individuals.

Internal Disturbances I mentioned that there were no significant internal disturbances last year. The situation did not necessitate the deployment of armed forces except in one incident that occurred in Bahr el Ghazal. The Dinka tribes, who had previously caused trouble, once again showed their aversion to the government's authority. They began to loot and plunder, and finally intercepted the mail and destroyed the letters and documents within it. The government dispatched a small, mobile force led by Major Sir Reginald Wingate, commander of the Bahr el Ghazal division.