Equatoria was a Mudiriyah of the

Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which brought an end to the short- ...

in the late 19th century. It was located in modern-day

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, and

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. Equatoria, as an Egyptian province, was created on the 26th of May, 1871, following the formal annexation of Gondokoro by Egypt, which was organized by

Samuel Baker Sir Samuel White Baker (8 June 1821 – 30 December 1893) was an English explorer, officer, naturalist, big game hunter, engineer, writer and abolitionist. He also held the titles of Pasha and Major-General in the Ottoman Empire and Egypt ...

. Throughout its early existence, the provincial administration in

Gondokoro Gondokoro (formerly Ismailïa) island is located in Central Equatoria. The island was a trading-station on the east bank of the White Nile in Southern Sudan, south of Khartoum. Its importance lay in the fact that it was within a few kilometres o ...

was plagued by instability, as conflict with slave traders and the native Bari tribes meant that the governor only controlled the areas around the capital and the forts. However, during its later existence, Equatoria experienced a “golden period”, where the province was self-sufficient, prosperous, and the Egyptians under

Emin Pasha Mehmed Emin Pasha (born Isaak Eduard Schnitzer, baptized Eduard Carl Oscar Theodor Schnitzer; March 28, 1840 – October 23, 1892) was an Ottoman physician of German Jewish origin, naturalist, and governor of the Egyptian province of Equatoria ...

maintained positive relations with both the interlacustrine kingdoms, and the surrounding tribes. Ultimately however, the outbreak of the

Mahdist War The Mahdist War (; 1881–1899) was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese, led by Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided One"), and the forces of the Khedivate of Egypt, initially, and later th ...

in the Sudan which severed communications with

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

and

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, led to the fall of Equatoria, as Mahdist offensives led by

Karam Allāh Muḥammad Kurkusāwī Karam Allāh Muḥammad Kurkusāwī (died 1903) was a Dongolāwī History of Mahdist Sudan, Mahdist emir (''amīr''). Born on the island of Kurkus, near Shendi, Karam Allāh worked with slave traders in the Bahr el Ghazal (region of South Sudan), B ...

surrounded the Egyptian forts, which forced Emin to withdraw south to

Wadelai Wadelai was a boma at a narrow point on the Albert Nile in what is now northern Uganda. There were several shortlived colonial stations there, the first being the final chief station of Emin Pasha when Governor of Equatoria. Wadelai gives its ...

, until he finally abandoned the province in early 1889, following an expedition sent to relieve his forces.

Background

Egyptian interests in the upper

White Nile The White Nile ( ') is a river in Africa, the minor of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the larger being the Blue Nile. The name "White" comes from the clay sediment carried in the water that changes the water to a pale color. In the stri ...

region begun under the reign of

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

. In 1839, he assigned Salim Qapudan to find the source of the White Nile. Salim reached Gondokoro, and published his reports regarding the number of resources such as gold, slaves, and the state of the local tribes. While permanent Egyptian authority was not established, the expedition opened up the possibility of future Egyptian expansion, which would be manifested in the 1870s.

Initial expansion

In 1863,

Isma'il Ishmael ( ) is regarded by Muslims as an Islamic prophet. Born to Abraham and Hagar, he is the namesake of the Ishmaelites, who were descended from him. In Islam, he is associated with Mecca and the construction of the Kaaba within today's Mas ...

became the

Wāli ''Wāli'', ''Wā'lī'' or ''vali'' (from ''Wālī'') is an administrative title that was used in the Muslim world (including the Rashidun, Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates and the Ottoman Empire) to designate governors of administrative divis ...

of Egypt. Under his reign, the Egyptian interest in the White Nile was reinvigorated. Under the justification of ending slavery in the southern Sudan, the Egyptians managed to establish full control over the

Upper Nile region The Greater Upper Nile () is a region of northeastern South Sudan. It is named for the White Nile (it is its lowest portion in South Sudan), a tributary of the Nile River in North and East Africa. History The Greater Upper Nile region seceded f ...

Administrative divisions

At its greatest extent in 1882, Equatoria was divided into 10 different districts. These were: # Rol # Bor # Lado # Kiri # Dufile # Foweira # Fadibek # Latuka # Makraka # Monbuttu

Background

Initial expansion

Administrative divisions

References

Further reading