276 1901—1902.

Mohanuued El Suiini.

Bonie Conference.

Recapitulation to the end of I90I.

1902. Bahrel Ghazal.

Ali Dinar. Nuer expedition. Sudd.

Surveys.

Treaty with Menelek.

Western Sudan.

With Jerma free again the Sultan And Sheraf El Din considered they were no longer safe at Abesher and both resolved to seek refuge in Dar Salamat. On the ilight of the Sultan, Jerma at once assumed the direction of affairs at the capital and unsuccessfully attacked the fugitive Sultan's rearguard soon after it had quitted Abesher. The pursuit was continued and a severe Engagement took place about 40 miles further south. Another action was subsequently fought in Dar Salamat in November, 1901, and Ghazali continued his flight to El Batha.

Jerma now returned to Abeshe and in December 1901 proclaimed Dud Murra, a youth of barely 20 years of age and brother of Sultan Ibrahim, as Sultan.

Mohammed El Sunni, the Senussl agent, is reported (1903) to be dead, and since the death of the Senussi, in May, 1902, the prestige of that doctrine is said to have materially decreased in Wadai.

In November, in consequence of difficulties in the frontier negotiations between the Sudan, Eritrea and Abyssinia, a Conference was held in Rome, which resulted in agreements satisfactory to all, and included customs, postal and telegraph conventions between the Sudan and Eritrea {vide pp. 292-295).

Meanwhile the Sudan Government had been settling itself, exploring its vast territories, organising and administering the country, instituting legislation, extending communications, and in general laying the foundations of good government. Various small disturbances, not necessary to chronicle in detail, had occurred, chiefly in the neighbourhood of the frontiers, slave-raiding or refusal of sections of tribes to pay tribute being the chief causes ; but on the whole, in spite of deficiency of population, limited numbers of officials, and rigid but necessary economy, the Sudan settled down into an era of peace and growing prosperity.

In January, 1902, Captain A. M. Pirie occupied Deim Zubeir and Chamamui, and was then recalled, owing to the murder of Lieutenant Scott-Barbour by the Agar Dinkas. This officer had been in charge of a camel convoy between Shambe and Rumbek, and was treacherously assassinated on the banks of the Naam river (Rohl) on 10th January. A punitive expedition was quickly organised by Major Hunter, and in a series of rapid marches it killed many of the Agars, burned their villages and captured their cattle. A further expedition under Captain L. Stack, arriving vid Shambe from Khartoum in March, completed the punishment. Myang Matyang, the chief offender, died in July of wounds received, and the ,\gar8 came in and sued for peace, which was granted.

In January Ali Dinar was seriously ill, and was at one time reported to be dead ; but he recovered completely. A small exploring expedition sent under Major Blewitt up the Khor Filus into the Nuer country, belonging to Denkur, in April only resulted in the Nuers first defying the troops, and then fleeing further into the interior.

Meanwhile Major G. E. Matthews had been hard at work for five months on the 15th block of sudd, but, owing to there being no current to take away the cut blocks, it was practically a hopeless task, and was temporarily given up, the " false channel " which circumvented this portion of the sudd proving sufficient for purposes of navigation.

During the spring Major Gwynn continued his surveys along the Sudan-Eritrea frontier, fixing points up to Raa Kasar on the Red Sea, and eventually finishing up at a point 100 miles north of Suakin.

On the 15th May a treaty was signed at Addis Abbaba, defining the Sudan-Abyssinian frontier line, and contaimng other important clauses (vide p. 29C).

The great religious Sheikh El Senussi, who had previously been residing at the oasis of Kufra, becoming uneasy at the advance of the French in the Lake Chad region, as well as being apprehensive of the possible eventuahties that might follow the victory of Omdurman, moved his headquarters to Gem,* about 10 days north of Abesher, in the year 19(K). In order, too, to extend his influence and safeguard his interests, he established a zawia at Bir Alali about four days north of Lake Chad and wrote on three separate occasions to Sultan Ali Dinar of Darfur requesting him to prepare zawias for him in Jebel Marra and in Dar Zaghawa. The Sultan, however, was unwilling to be saddled with such an illustrious but inconvenient guest, and the matter eventually fell through in 1902. From that time no visits of Senussiists to El Fasher have been reported.

At last the situation in the west was brought to a head by a French patrol searching a Senussiist zawia in Ranem for reported arms. A coUision ensued some time in August, 1901, which was insignificant and partook of the nature of a raid. On 19th November, however, a more serious collision took place, in which a small French force was defeated by Sheikh el Barrani, the Senussi representative in Kanem.

On the 18th January, 1902, the French, strongly reinforced, attacked the Senussiists at the zawia of Alali, in Kanem, and the latter, though assisted by the Aulad Suleiman (Tuareg) tribe, sustained a severe defeat.

The Jehad was now proclaimed by the Senussi, and hundreds of his adherents flocked into Geru from Tripoli, Wadai, and the surrounding deserts. It appears, however, that the intention of the Senussi was merely to act on the defensive, for no forward movement was undertaken ; there were even rumours that the Sheikh intended to retire north to Kufra to avoid collision with the enemy. At a third action, however, which appears to have been fairly decisive, Mohammed Abu Egeil, the Senussi general in Kanem, waa kiUed, and the Senussiists fell back eastwards and northwards.

* Approximately N. Lat. 19°, F. Long. 20° 10'.