96 by air from Suez to Cairo. Freight traffic-by the Nile was stopped, and a considerable loss of trade was involved.

A small force, composed of detachments of British, Egyptian and .Soudanese troops, was sent to assist in restoring order in Upper Egypt. Detachments of this force went as far as Keneh, and established communication with the trops sent from the north.

The first effect of these disturbances on the considerable Eptian community in the Soudan was to make them anxious as to the safety of their families and property in Egypt. This was' the predominant feeling. There were, as was only to be expected, many who sympathised with the Nationalist movement and fretted at their lack of opportunity to' give some open indication of their sentiments. The builk of them, however, had the good sense to see that they could serve no useful purpose by making demonstrations, so that the critical period passed without giving rise to any incident worth recording. Latterly a subscription was started in aid of those who had suffered during blm disturbances. This was largely supported, and was an effective and reasonable ndethod of signifying that Egyptians in the Soudan were not indift’erent to the unfortunate events that had taken place in their own country. * c i i .

The Soudanese themselves, except for the fact that they felt the loss in trade caused by the interruption of cammunication, took only a spectator’s point of view in the movement, not feeling themselves concerned in the aspirations of Egyptian nationalism.

As regards internal affairs, there has been during the p-ast year some anxiety as to the food supply; the Nile flood was poor and,the rains,unsatisfactory. In consequence during the summer it became very difficult to buy millet, particularlv in the towns. It was also impossible to meet the shortage by import from other milletproducing countries, such as India, as there was no millet available for export. Fortunately the British Expeditionary Force in Egypt had a quantity of millet for disposal from their surplus stores. Some thousands of tons of this were purchased and distributed in the centre.s most in need at a moderate price. This tided oyer the bad time in the summer. As soon as it was seen that the autumn rains were fair and that the harvest of 1919-20 would be a moderate one, merchants and others who had been holcTing up grain released their stocks and the situation became easier.

Apart from this the general situation of the country has been satisfactory. The commercial people and au who have animals and produce to sell have continued to do extremely well. .11, Public security has been good except for three events, a fanatical outbreak at Kassala, an attempted “Mabdisl ” movement on a small scale in Sennar proving and a conition of unrest among a section of the Dinkas in Mongalla province, in the course of which two British and-one Soudanese officer unhappily lost their lives. Each of these incidents is described later on in this report in the section dealing with the province where it took place.

The victory of the allies having been regarded throughout the war by the Soudanese as a foregone conclusion, the armistice, and subsequently the signature of the peace terms caused little general comment, though a considerable number of congratulatory messages and telegrams were received. A delegation of Soudanese notabilities went to England to congratulate His Majesty on the successful termination of the war, and were greatly impressed with the welcome they received and with all that they saw in the course of their visit.

Administration has become easier. New candidates, badly needed for vacant posts, have become available, and it has been possible to replenish partly both the technical and administrative staffs. It is hoped that still further progress will be made in 1920 in this respect, but the gap of five years in which it has been impossible to train men to the service is bound to have its effect for some time to come.

Affairs on the frontiers caU for little notice. I greatly regret that we have been unable to accede fully to the requests of the Eritrean Government—with whom our relations have continued to be of the most cordial nature—for supplies of millet. We have done what we could, and large quantities have been sent, but we have been from time to time obliged to refuse applications for permits to export owing to our own shortage. « , « . i Conditions in Abyssinia are still unsettled, and the state of the frontier leaves much to be desired. On the border between Kassa and Abyssinia there is nothing to complain of, but in southern Sennar certain semi-Arab chieftains who live nominally under the jurisdiction of Abyssinia are constantly embroiling themselves House of Commons Parliamentary Papers Online. Copyright (c) 2006 ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.