Date 17 July 1894 Combatants Sudan, Kingdom of Italy | Location Kassala, Sudan | |
28 killed
41 wounded 1,400 dead & wounded
hundreds were killed and drowned Results Colonial Italian victory, Italians seize Kassala Similar Battle of Ferkeh, Battle of Ginnis, Mahdist War, Battle of Gallabat, Battle of El Obeid | ||
The Battle of Kassala was fought on July 17, 1894, between an Italian colonial troop and Mahdist Sudanese forces.
Contents
Prelude
Governor Oreste Baratieri sought to capture Kassala, so as to forestall Mahdist attacks on Eritrea. In July 1894, Baratieri saw his moment when the Atbarah River started to rise, and marched his small army of "56 Italian officers, 41 NCOs and 2510 Askari led by 16 Bukbashis" towards Kassala.
Battle
An account of the capture of Kassala was published in the New York Times on July 20, 1894:
" Rome, July 19.- ...The attack upon the earthworks of the Mahdists was at once ordered and a fiercely contested battle ensued. The Mahdists fought desperately, but were finally driven from their position, leaving hundreds of dead and wounded in and about the intrenchments. Being hotly pursued, the Mahdists scattered under a continuous fire, and many of them in their efforts to escape plunged into the River Adbara, hoping to reach the other side. ...Hundreds of the enemy were drowned, and it is believed that none succeeded in reaching the opposite bank."
Aftermath
The Italians captured two flags and a number of cannons, in addition, the Italians freed many slaves, including "several white men and about a hundred of the remnants of the former Egyptian garrison; also a number from the tribes around, such as the Beni-Amer."
On July 23 the Generals left, leaving a garrison of a thousand men with two guns under Colonel Turitto. Three years later -in 1897- the Italians gave back to the British the control of Kassala, returning to their Italian Eritrea.