Battle of Kouno

Part of the Rabih War (1899–1901)

Date	28 October 1899
Location	Kouno, near Sarh
Result	Inconclusive

Belligerents

Rabih's empire

France

Commanders and leaders

Rabih az-Zubayr

Émile Gentil

Strength

2,700 with firearms
10,000 auxiliaries

344 soldiers
5 cannons

Casualties and losses

High

46 dead
106 wounded

The battle of Kouno was an inconclusive battle that took place between French troops and the Muslim army led by Rabih az-Zubayr, in the context of French colonial expansion in Africa, and more precisely in Chad.

On August 16, 1899 the leader of the Gentil Mission, the Captain Émile Gentil, was informed of the utter annihilation by the warlord Rabih az-Zubayr of the Bretonnet-Braun Mission at Togbao on July 17.

Gentil knew that the Forreau-Lamy and Voulet missions were marching on southern Chad, respectively from Algeria and Niger. His primary goal was to unite his forces with those of the Voulet-Chanoine Mission; but first he felt he had to free himself of Rabih, and so left on October 23 Fort-Archambault, leaving there only twenty men under the command of the maréchal de logis Bauguies. Gentil started navigating upriver avigating the Chari, counting on three cannons, while the steamboat Léon-Blot and their barge had other two. A column formed by Cointet and Lamothe's men, under the command of the Captain Robillot, took instead the ground route marching close to the riverside.

On October 26 Gentil encamped himself near the hills of Togbao, at only 20 km from Rabih's forces, where he inspected the battlefield of the previous fight and united his forces with those of Robillot. On October 28 Gentil boarded most of his forces, and proceeded to Kouno that was first seen, at 9:00, and where Rabih was waiting Gentil; Rabih knew only of the arrival of the steamboat, while he had no knowledge of the three companies passing near the river.

Gentil immediately ordered the steamboat and the barge to open fire with their cannons; and at the same time, to the great surprise of Rabih's forces, the column proceeding by land did the same with its artillery. All the same they answered using their artillery, the three cannons won at Togbao, which they used with considerable ability. Rabih had also placed on the left a group of riflemen, whose rifle-fire also started to put Robillot's Senegalese tirailleurs in difficulty, moving Robillot to order a bayonet assault on Rabih's lines. Being the latter provided only of firearms, they escaped disorderly to Kouno.

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