Osman Digna ( ar, عثمان دقنة) (c.1840 – 1926) was a follower of
Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad ( ar, محمد أحمد ابن عبد الله; 12 August 1844 – 22 June 1885) was a Nubian Sufi religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, as a youth, studied Sunni Islam. In 1881, he claimed to be the Mahdi, an ...
, the self-proclaimed
Mahdi
The Mahdi ( ar, ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, al-Mahdī, lit=the Guided) is a Messianism, messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a de ...
, in
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
, who became his best known military commander during the
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...
. He was claimed to be a descendant from the
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
family. As the Mahdi's ablest general, he played an important role in the fate of General
Charles George Gordon
Major-general (United Kingdom), Major-General Charles George Gordon Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (28 January 1833 – 26 January 1885), also known as Chinese Gordon, Gordon Pasha, and Gordon of Khartoum, was a British Army officer and ...
and the loss of the Sudan to
Turkish-Egyptian rule.
In Britain, Osman Digna became a notorious figure, both demonised as a savage and respected as a warrior.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
described him as an "astute" and "prudent" man, calling him "the celebrated, and perhaps immortal, Osman Digna."
Mahdist leader
Osman Digna's father was a
Kurd ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...
and his mother hailed from the
Hadendoa
Hadendoa (or Hadendowa) is the name of a nomadic subdivision of the Beja people, known for their support of the Mahdiyyah rebellion during the 1880s to 1890s. The area historically inhabited by the Hadendoa lies today in parts of Sudan, Egypt an ...
tribe of the
Beja people
The Beja people ( ar, البجا, Beja: Oobja, tig, በጃ) are an ethnic group native to the Eastern Desert, inhabiting a coastal area from southeastern Egypt through eastern Sudan and into northwestern Eritrea. They are descended from peop ...
. His birthplace is not documented, but
Suakin
Suakin or Sawakin ( ar, سواكن, Sawákin, Beja: ''Oosook'') is a port city in northeastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about north.
Suakin used to b ...
was said to be the town, where he was born. He was originally known as Osman Ali. He lived in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
, where he dealt in the selling of
slaves
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
. After the English forced him to quit this business, he took part in the revolt of
Ahmed 'Urabi
Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet.
Etymology
The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
. After the failure of that movement at the
Battle of Tel al-Kebir
The Battle of Tel El Kebir (often spelled Tel-El-Kebir) was fought on 13 September 1882 at Tell El Kebir in Egypt, 110 km north-north-east of Cairo. An entrenched Egyptian force under the command of Ahmed ʻUrabi was defeated by a British a ...
(13 September 1882), he attached himself to the cause of the
Mahdi
The Mahdi ( ar, ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, al-Mahdī, lit=the Guided) is a Messianism, messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a de ...
.
About this time he received the name "Digna" because of the fullness of his beard ("the bearded one," from , "the beard").
He was the leader of a powerful army around Suakin. His first battle was an attempt to capture a Turkish-held fort at
Sinkat Sinkat is a small town in eastern Sudan.
It is the main city of the district of the same name and, in some respects, the "capital" of the Hadendowa.
Transport
It is served by a station on the mainline of the Sudan railway network.
Climate
Sinkat ...
in 1883. His initial attack was repulsed, but the fort eventually fell after a siege.
At the
First Battle of El Teb he inflicted a severe defeat on a much larger Egyptian force led by
Baker Pasha near
Tokar, on 4 February 1884. Immediately after this victory, however, a new British-Egyptian force was sent to retrieve the situation, and he was defeated by
General Graham near Tokar at the
Second Battle of El Teb.
Both sides withdrew to restore their forces, but Graham soon launched a second attack designed to crush Osman Digna completely. At the
Battle of Tamai
The Battle of Tamai (or Tamanieh) took place on 13 March 1884 between a British force under Sir Gerald Graham and a Mahdist Sudanese army led by Osman Digna.
Despite his earlier victory at El Teb, Graham realised that Osman Digna's force was fa ...
, the Mahdist forces exploited a gap in the British position, and succeeded in breaking an
infantry square
An infantry square, also known as a hollow square, was a historic combat formation in which an infantry unit formed in close order, usually when it was threatened with cavalry attack. As a traditional infantry unit generally formed a line to adva ...
. They were almost able to cut off parts of the British force, but the British were able to rally and consolidate their position. The Mahdists were subjected to intense flanking fire and were finally defeated. Despite his defeat, as the only foreign commander who broke the British infantry square, Osman Digna and his troops acquired a reputation amongst the British for immense fighting-prowess. The prowess of his troops is celebrated in
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
's poem "
Fuzzy-Wuzzy
"Fuzzy-Wuzzy" is a poem by the English author and poet Rudyard Kipling, published in 1892 as part of '' Barrack Room Ballads''. It describes the respect of the ordinary British soldier for the bravery of the Hadendoa warriors who fought the Briti ...
". He is also named in
''The Battle of El-Teb'', a poem by
William McGonagall
William Topaz McGonagall (March 1825 – 29 September 1902) was a Scottish poet of Irish descent. He gained notoriety as an extremely bad poet who exhibited no recognition of, or concern for, his peers' opinions of his work.
He wrote about 2 ...
.
The defeats did not, however, destroy the Mahdists, and Osman Digna remaining in control of his supporters. Graham later withdrew, and Osman Digna restored his army. He presented the battle as a victory, saying that the British had fled "in fear". He wrote to the Mahdi claiming that he had inflicted 8000 casualties on the British, with only 2000 of his own troops killed.
Official British losses were 100 killed.
Nevertheless, the British campaign had achieved very little, as Osman Digna "retained both Sinkat and Tokar and the Suakin-
Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
route was controlled by the Ansar
ahdists.
The situation led to the increasing isolation of
General Gordon, who was under siege in
Khartoum
Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...
. Gordon finally was unable to withdraw to Egypt, and British troops were not quickly sent to relieve him. After the fall of Khartoum to the Mahdists and the death of Gordon, Osman is said to have been given Gordon's watch and sword to show to the Mahdists at Suakin as proof of the victory.
Later operations
Osman Digna later served under the Mahdi's successor
Abdallahi ibn Muhammad
Abdullah Ibn-Mohammed Al-Khalifa or Abdullah al-Khalifa or Abdallahi al-Khalifa, also known as "The Khalifa" ( ar, c. عبدالله بن سيد محمد الخليفة; 184625 November 1899) was a Sudanese Ansar ruler who was one of the principa ...
(known as the Khalifa), who launched a series of military operations in subsequent years. Osman Digna took command of a Mahdist force invading Ethiopia in 1885, but was defeated by Ethiopian general
Ras Alula
Ras Alula Engida ( gez, ራስ አሉላ እንግዳ) (1827 – 15 February 1897; also known by his horse name Abba Nega and by Alula Qubi) was an Ethiopian general and politician who successfully led Abyssinian battles against Ottoman Egypt, ...
at the
Battle of Kufit
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
on 23 September.
In December, 1888, he fought at the
Battle of Suakin
The Battle of Suakin (also known as the Battle of Gemaizah), part of the Mahdist War, occurred on 20 December 1888 when General Francis Grenfell defeated a Mahdist, or Dervish, force near Suakin, a chief port of Sudan.
The Mahdist force, under ...
, attempting to capture the local Water Forts. He suffered a bloody reverse at the hands of
General Grenfell, and was wounded at the arm. Until 1891, Osman Digna continued to direct Mahdist forces in eastern Sudan, fending off Egyptian forces. In February 1891, a combined British-Egyptian force captured
Tokar. Local tribes defected from the Mahdists, forcing Osman Digna to retreat to the mountains.
After this, he remained a leader in the Mahdist army, but was only marginally involved in the conflicts that led to the final defeat and death of the Khalifa. When the British under
Herbert Kitchener
Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, (; 24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916) was a senior British Army officer and colonial administrator. Kitchener came to prominence for his imperial campaigns, his scorched earth policy against the Boers, h ...
moved into the Sudan in 1898, the Khalifa sent a force under Emir Mahmud Ahmad to join with Osman's army. Osman's plan to outflank Kitchener by moving up to
Atbara
Atbara (sometimes Atbarah) ( ar, عطبرة ʿAṭbarah) is a city located in River Nile State in northeastern Sudan.
Because of its links to the railway industry, Atbara is also known as the "Railway City'.
As of 2007, its population is 11 ...
was approved by the Khalifa, but Mahmud overruled Osman, when he proposed to move their forces even further upriver to
Adaramra, threatening Kitchener's line of communications. Instead Mahmoud created a fortified defensive camp at Atbara.
This became a sitting target for Kitchener. At the ensuing
Battle of Atbara
The Battle of Atbara also known as the Battle of the Atbara River took place during the Second Sudan War. Anglo-Egyptian forces defeated 15,000 Sudanese rebels, called Mahdists or Dervishes, on the banks of the River Atbara. The battle proved t ...
, he launched a barrage followed by a rapid attack. The Mahdist position collapsed. Osman managed to lead a few thousand warriors on a retreat to the south, and most of the remainder were killed or captured, including Mahmud, who was captured by Sudanese troops of the Egyptian Brigade.
In 1899 Osman Digna fought in the last campaign of the Mahdist forces, whose strength had been broken in the previous year at
Omdurman
Omdurman (standard ar, أم درمان ''Umm Durmān'') is a city in Sudan. It is the most populated city in the country, and thus also in the State of Khartoum. Omdurman lies on the west bank of the River Nile, opposite and northwest of the ...
. At the
Battle of Umm Diwaykarat
The Battle of Umm Diwaykarat on 25 November 1899 marked the final defeat of the Mahdist State in Sudan, when United Kingdom, Anglo-Egyptian forces under the command of Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, Lord Kitchener defeated ...
he was injured, but was the only leader who escaped and continued the resistance. He tried to reach safety in the
Hejaz
The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...
, but on 19 January 1900, he was captured near Tokar and sent as a prisoner to
Rosetta
Rosetta or Rashid (; ar, رشيد ' ; french: Rosette ; cop, ϯⲣⲁϣⲓⲧ ''ti-Rashit'', Ancient Greek: Βολβιτίνη ''Bolbitinē'') is a port city of the Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The Ro ...
. There, he served in prison for eight years, and after his release stayed in Egypt until he died in 1926.
See also
*
Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad ( ar, محمد أحمد ابن عبد الله; 12 August 1844 – 22 June 1885) was a Nubian Sufi religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, as a youth, studied Sunni Islam. In 1881, he claimed to be the Mahdi, an ...
*
Beja people
The Beja people ( ar, البجا, Beja: Oobja, tig, በጃ) are an ethnic group native to the Eastern Desert, inhabiting a coastal area from southeastern Egypt through eastern Sudan and into northwestern Eritrea. They are descended from peop ...
*
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
*
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Digna, Osman
1840s births
1926 deaths
Mahdist military personnel of the Mahdist War
People of the 'Urabi revolt