Fashoda War (Fashoda War)
Fashoda War | |||||||
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Part of the Scramble For Africa | |||||||
![]() Labelled map of Eastern Africa in 1898 prior to the skirmishes | |||||||
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The Fashoda War (also known as the Fashoda Conflict) was a brief colonial skirmish between the British Empire and the French colonial empire that lasted for one month, from September 1898 to October 1898.
General Jean-Baptiste Marchand, along with 120 colonial soldiers, were sent by the French government to create a colonial settlement at the mouth of the Congo River, also known as Fashoda. On 18 September, Sir Herbert Kitchener encountered the French settlement and attempted to negotiate with General Marchand. However, one of Kitchener's men accidentally discharged his rifle, leading to a firefight between British and French forces. Neither sides were aware that the weapon was fired as an accident, and the conflict would carry on for two weeks, when General Marchand surrendered to the British and recognized the British authority over the Fashoda region.
Back home, the populaces of both the United Kingdom and France were paranoid about the war coming to Europe, however this would never happen as the French government would begrudgingly recognize Britain's authority over Fashoda.