Battle of Khartoum
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| Siege of Khartoum | |||||||
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| Part of The Mahdist War (War of the Sudan) |
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| Combatants | |||||||
| Great Britain Egypt |
Sudan | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Charles George Gordon† | Muhammad Ahmad | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 7,000 Egyptian troops and 100 British officers | 30,000-60,000 warriors | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| Entire garrison killed | Unknown | ||||||
| Mahdist War |
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| Khartoum – Abu Klea – Omdurman – Umm Diwaykarat |
The Siege of Khartoum was fought in 1884 and 1885 between Sudanese Muslim forces and British forces. The British were led by Charles George Gordon while the Sudanese were led by Muhammad Ahmad. Khartoum was besieged by the Mahdists whom were trying to capture the city which was garrisoned by around 7,000 Egyptian and loyal Sudanese troops commanded by British officers.
General Gordon arrived in Khartoum in February 1884 to supervise the evacuation of the Egyptian garrisons all over the Sudan in the aftermath of the defeat at the Battle of El Obeid in 1883. But Gordon refused to abandon the capitial to the Mahdists and conducted a vigorous defense of the city.
After a siege that lasted over 10 months, the Sudanese Mahdists stormed and captured British-occupied Khartoum on January 26, 1885 killing the entire garrison, including Gordon, as well as the majority of the 30,000 civilian population.
Following the fall of the city, the surviving Anglo-Egyptian troops withdrew from the Sudan, with the exception of the city of Suskin on the Red Sea coast, leaving Muhammad Ahmad control of the entire Sudan.
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