Rabah

Rabah ( Rabih az-Zubayr ibn Fadl Al or Rabih Fadlallah ) (towards 1842 - 1900). Lord of the war in Sudan and trafficker of slaves, he became sultan of Bornou in central Africa, until the conquest of Chad by the French.

The lieutenant of az-Zubayr (1870 - 1879)

Born in Halfaya Al-Muluk (suburb of Khartoum) towards 1842 in a family Hamaj arabo-Sudanese woman, Rabah was used a time in the irregular Egyptian cavalry during the countryside as Ethiopia, where it was wounded. Laid off army in the years 1860, he became the principal lieutenant of the trafficker of Sudanese slaves az-Zubayr Rahma Mansur. It was famous for its cruelty, because it did not hesitate to coil blows the slaves who refused to subject themselves.

During the XIXe century the town of Khartoum had become a very important center of the traffic of slaves, organized by companies of “Khartumi” establishing in the Bahr el-Ghazal zaribas , or stations of draft strengthened and defended by soldier-slaves, the bazingirs . Az-Zubayr Rahma Mansur, lord of the war commercial slaves, took the control of these zaribas and was named in 1872 “pasha”, governor of the Bahr el-Ghazal, on behalf of the Khedive Ismaïl of Egypt. Rabah, perhaps its relative, were his principal lieutenant.

In 1874 az-Zubayr conquers the sultanate of the Darfur. Left with the Cairo in 1876 to request of the khedive his confirmation as governor of his conquest, it is retained there prisoner. His/her Suleyman son revolts, and Rabah follows it. Colonel Charles George Gordon (Gordon Pasha, general governor of the Sudan anglo-Egyptian) appoints Romolo Gessi (Gessi Pasha) governor of the Bahr el-Ghazal, and MATER sends it the rebellion of Suleyman. Beaten, this last goes the July 15th 1879, and is carried out by Gessi. It is claimed that Rabah would have left Suleyman the day before its rendering, but with the testimony of Gessi itself it had been folded up as of June, after having undergone losses.

The lord of the slave war (1879 - 1890)

To escape the Egyptians, Rabah leaves the Bahr el-Ghazal towards the south and the west with 7 to 800 bazingirs including 400 rifles. Applying the methods of the Khartumi , it is cut since 1880 a kingdom between the basins of the Oubangui and the the Nile (country of Kreich and the Dar Banda, in the south of the Ouaddaï, where it makes a true desert).

In 1885 it tries to return to the Sudan to the invitation of the Mahdi Mohammed Ahmed which had taken Khartoum with the Égypto-British. The Mahdi had sent to him in embassy Zin el-Abeddin and Jabar, and it had followed them until the Darfur to join the Mahdi with Omdurman, but learning that one hoped to make it assassinate, it turned back.

In 1887 Rabah invades the Darfur, recruits bazingirs , settles with the Dar Kouti, but fails against the troops of the Ouaddaï ordered by the aguid (representative of the sultan) Salamat Cherif ED-DIN). In 1890, it attacks the Moslem chief Kobur in the north of the Oubangui-Chari, deposits it and establishes in its place its nephew Mohammed el- Senoussi, on whom it imposes his suzerainty. This alliance is sealed by the marriage of Khadija, girl of Mohammed el-Senoussi, with Fadlallah wire of Rabah. Mohammed and Rabah will attack together the Dar Runga (theoretically Moslem), Kreich, Goula and them Banda Ngao.

First confrontations with France (1891 - 1893)

The alliance of Mohammed el-Senoussi with Rabah worries the colonial powers, in particular France which wishes to take the control of central Africa. Mohammed el-Senoussi remains faithful to Rabah and makes carry out in 1891 the French Paul Crampel in Dar Banda. Rabah recovers the weapons of this mission.

In the south-east of the Lake Chad, it attacks then the Baguirmi in 1892, reproaching the Mbang (king) Gaourang for having accepted the protectorate of the French infidels. Besieged during 3 to 5 months in Manjaffa, Gaourang must give up its capital which completely is destroyed in March 1893.

The conquest of the Bornou (1893)

The same year 1893 Rabah turns to the Bornou of the shehu (king) Hashim ibn Omar. The Bornou was an empire sahélien going back to the Middle Ages, which had 80.000 soldiers, primarily of the slaves framed by slaves, but were then in full decline.

On the road of the Bornou, Rabah makes captive the sultan of Karnak Logone, whose city opens its doors. Hashim, shehu of the Bornou, which was not a warrior, sent 15.000 men to the meeting of Rabah. This last put them in rout in May or September 1893 at Am Hobbio (in the south of Dikoa) then at Legaroua with only 2000 riders. Perhaps Hashim flees in the north of the Komadougou river and tried to negotiate, but was assassinated at the instigation of its nephew Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr Al-Amin (called Kiyari) who seized the power and decided to fight. It went against Rabah since Geidam. Rabah met Kiyari with Gashegar, at two days of walk of Kouka (today Kukawa), the capital. Bornouans were victorious and took the camp of Rabah. This last gathered its forces, made give 100 whiplashes to all its chiefs of banner, including with his/her own Fadlallah son however wounded, except for Boubakar which had been a brave man. Then its counter-offensive was victorious. Kiyari refused to flee, was taken and decapitated. Kouka was plundered and completely destroyed.

Rabah installed its capital with Dikoa, and built there its palate which made the admiration of the French governor later Emile Gentil.

Main Rabah of the Bornou (1893 - 1900)

In 1895 Rabah wishes to modernize its army and tries for that to get along with the Royal Niger Company British in Yola and Ibi, to obtain powder and ammunition, but without success. It scrambled with the British in 1896 and, the following year, even started to go on Kano, while its vassal Mohammed Al-Sanussi founded a strengthened capital, Ndele, between Bahr Aouk and the Oubangui (capital which it will preserve until in 1911).

Rabah was shehu Bornou during 7 years, and made much to reinforce this old sclerosed empire which lived until there with the same feudal structures as at the 16th century. It left in place the vassal sultans, whom it put under the dependence of its lieutenants, Arab Sudanese like him for the majority. It promulgated a code based on the Sharia, rationalized the perception of the tax with the creation of a public case and of a budget, imposed on the Bornou a kind of dictatorship military which aroused the interest of the colonial powers. Emile Gentil will detail his work with the Bornou with a certain comprehension: it will be inspired some later to organize the colonial Chad. Some will compare it with Napoleon.

One speaks about his hardness (it would have made carry out a concubine because she had a talisman to make sure of her love, as well as the marabout which had deciphered the talisman), and of its evenings passed to listen to Ali, the poet who sang his exploits.

More seriously, Rabah constantly launched raids against its neighbors for the razzier and to bring back slaves: return to the traditional activity of the sultans of the Bornou, already described in 1526 by Leon the African. One could estimate between the 1500 and 2000 number of the exported slaves each year by his vassal Mohammed el-Senoussi, without counting deaths, the casualties, and the other losses; the figures for Rabah must be much more important. But it should be said that Baguirmiens de Gaourang then did very as much of it, to the great scandal of their French allies.

France against Rabah (1899)

In 1899 Rabah has 10.000 men, infantrymen and riders, with rifles (for the majority obsolete, except 400 rifles of precision), plus a great number of auxiliaries equipped with knives or arcs. It has garrisons with Baggara and Karnak Logone (where it has its information service).

In 1899 Rabah accepted in Dikoa the French explorer-merchant Ferdinand de Béhagle. The talks degenerated, and Béhagle was put at irons. July 17th, 1899, lieutenant Bretonnet who had been sent by France against him was killed with the majority of his men on the rock of Togbao, at the edge of the Chari. Rabah took three guns to him (which will be taken again with Kousséri) and ordered with his/her Fadlallah son, remained in Dikoa, to make hang Béhagle.

Rabah was tackled first once at Kouno with the end of the year by the column Gentil, going up Gabon, supported by the vapor Leon Blot. For the French who were pushed back with losses, it was a failure, which did not prevent them from continuing, to take Kousséri and to make their junction with the columns Lamy (come from Algérie) and Joalland-Meynier (come from the Niger afterwards many adventures). The commander Lamy took the command of the unit.

The battle of Kousséri (April 22nd 1900)

The battle took place the April 22nd 1900. The French Army of the commander Lamy included/understood more than 700 men since the arrival of the Gentil column; their allies baguirmiens on the whole compaient 600 rifles and 200 riders. The touched (fortified camp) of Rabah (a square of 800 side m leant with the Chari) was to 6 km downstream from Kousséri, opposite the current site of Ndjamena. It was necessary to spare susceptibilities and to respect the colonial division decided with the Traité of Berlin of 1885: the camp of Rabah being in “German” territory, Lamy was addressed to Omar Sanda, legitimate heir to the shehu Hashim of Bornou. This last gave officially to Gaourang de Baguirmi and its " Al; any license to drive out Rabah and to restore it on the throne.

Leaving Kousséri the French formed 3 columns. On the right, Captain Joalland (Central Africa Mission): 174 rifles, 1 gun of 80; in the center (Mission Nice), Robillot Captain: 340 rifles, 2 guns of 80; on the left (Saharan Mission), Commander Reibell: 274 rifles, 1 gun of 42.

Lamy attacked the camp of Rabah on 3 sides, leaving free only the bank of the Chari. After two hours of shooting and cannonade one charged, touched it was removed and evacuated by its defenders in escape. Rabah passed then to the counter-attack which was devastator: Lamy was mortally touched by a ball, with the captain of Cointet. But the Senegaleses stopped Rabah which, wounded, flees, while the runaways which tried to cross the river were shot in the Chari.

During the Rabah continuation was recognized by a rifleman of the Mission Africa Centrale, former deserter of his own army, which completed it of a ball in the head. Learning that there was a premium for Rabah, it turned over on the ground and brought back its head and its right hand. Rabah was unanimously identified. Baguirmiens will be baited on its remainders.

The human losses amounted to 28 dead and 75 wounded French side; 1000 to 1500 died and more than 3000 wounded side of Rabah, of which women and children who accompanied the army.

The fall of the empire of Rabah (1900-1911)

In front of the French advance, Fadlallah, wire of Rabah, which was in Karnak Logone, fled towards Dikoa then evacuated its capital which the French occupied. In spite of the explosion of the explosives magazine in the palate of Rabah, they launched out to the continuation of Fadlallah which was joined in Déguemba and had to still flee towards the mounts Mandara. It will be killed the August 3rd 1901, during an engagement with the Dangeville captain in Gujba with the Nigeria. Mohammed Al-Sanussi, as for him, will be assassinated at the instigation of the French in 1911.

Old works on Rabah

Gaston Dujarric, life of the Rabah sultan, Paris (J. Andre) 1902

Von Oppenheim, Rabeh und das Tsadseegebiet, Berlin 1902

A. Babikir, Empire of Rabih, Paris 1954.

Joalland-Meynier mission/Octave Meynier - Paris, edition of the French empire: 1947 (Collection great colonial missions) on the battle of Kousséri

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