Osman Digna
| Osman Digna | |
|---|---|
Osman Digna in old age
|
|
| Born | c. 1840 Suakin |
| Died | 1926 |
| Allegiance | Mahdist State of Sudan |
| Years of service | 1883 — 1899 |
| Rank | Emir |
| Battles/wars | |
Osman Digna (Arabic: عثمان دقنة)(c. 1840 – 1926) was a follower of Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Mahdi, in Sudan, who became his best known military commander during the Mahdist War. As the Mahdi's ablest general, he played an important role in the fate of General Charles George Gordon and the loss of the Sudan to Egypt. In Britain Osman became a notorious figure, both demonised as a savage and respected as a warrior. Winston Churchill describes him as an "astute" and "prudent" man, calling him "the celebrated, and perhaps immortal, Osman Digna."
He hailed from the Hadendoa tribe of the Beja people. His birthplace is unknown; Suakin was said to be the town where he was born. He was originally known as Osman Ali. He lived in Alexandria, Egypt, where he dealt in the selling of slaves. After the English forced him to quit his business, he took part in the revolt of Ahmed 'Urabi. After the failure of that movement at the Battle of Tel al-Kebir (September 13, 1882), he attached himself to the cause of the Mahdi.
About this time he received the name "Digna" because of the fullness of his beard ("the bearded one," from dikn, "the beard"). He maintained himself at the head of a powerful army around Suakin. His first battle was an attempt to capture a Turkish-held fort at 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 February 4, 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.
...
Wikipedia