THE SUAKIN EXPEDITION 1884-85

The conduct and result of the war in the Sudan in the early 1880's meant that it was no longer politically acceptable for the Egyptian Government to be responsible for garrisoning Eritrea and the Somali Coast. The situation was already somewhat confusing; for some years France, Italy and Britain had had trading concessions on this part of the African coast. The British concessions were along the Somali Coast, particularly at Berbera through which port passed a large percentage of the produce needed by the Aden community. The province of Harrar in Eritrea had been annexed by Egypt in 1874 and a lease of the Eritrean and Somali coasts bordering the Red Sea and into the Gulf of Aden had been purchased by Egypt from Turkey in 1875. Therefore if Egyptian troops were to be withdrawn entirely from any of the coastal areas these would, in theory at least, pass back to Turkey.

At the end of December 1883 the first moves were made on this political chessboard, or potential minefield. Major Hunter, the 1st Assistant Resident in Aden, informed Sir Evelyn Baring, HMG’s Agent and Consul General in Cairo, that in the event of the Egyptians withdrawing from Harrar, King Menelek of Abyssinia might seize that province and if the Somalis thought that the British would not interfere they would turn the Egyptians out of Berbera and Zaila. Baring passed this assessment on to Earl Granville at the Foreign Office. As a result Granville ordered the Admiralty to send a warship to protect the Egyptian ports in the Gulf of Aden.

Meanwhile on 19 January, the Egyptian Government had asked that a British officer be sent to reconnoitre Zaila and Harrar with a view to reporting on the feasibility of reducing the garrison at and around Harrar. Aden was given this task and on 2 February Major Hunter, together with Lieutenant Fullerton who was commanding the company of Sappers & Miners in Aden, sailed in the Government steamer Amberwitch to Berbera which had a resident population of only 4,000 which, they were told, swelled to 20,000 during the trading season from October to March.

Their inspection tour lasted just over three weeks and on their return to Aden they produced a very detailed report. The only casualties to themselves or their escort had been one Bashi Basuk shot in the leg following an accidental discharge and another eaten by a lion. [The Basha Basuk were irregular cavalry of Turkish origin.] Whilst Hunter and his party were marching from Harrar back to Berbera the Egyptian government took the decision to evacuate Harrar province and hand it back to the former ruling family, but to retain the ports on the coast.

Two months later, at the end of May, the Egyptians would also decide to withdraw their garrisons on the Somali Coast. None of the European powers were really interested in the interior, but the trading ports were another matter. The Foreign Secretary, Lord Granville, informed the British Ambassador in Constantinople of what was in the wind as far as Britain was concerned: On the withdrawal of the Egyptians it would be the intention of HMG to make such arrangements as they might think desirable for the preservation of order and the security of British interests, especially at Berbera, from which Aden drew its chief supplies. In other words Britain would occupy the Somali Coast.  

The Ambassador was told to keep these intentions to himself for the time being, but to inform the Turks that the Egyptians were intending to withdraw, so as to give the Turks the opportunity to put in their own garrisons, knowing full well that they probably no longer had the capability of doing so. However on 13 August the Ambassador would report that the Turks were ready to send troops “as suggested by the Foreign Secretary.”

Whether or not it was this cable that geared the British into action, but ‘such arrangements as they might think desirable’ included the occupation of Zaila: A detachment arrived there from Aden on 20August. It consisted of three guns from the RA camel battery, 50 men of the Aden Troop and 150 Native Infantry of the 4th Bombay Rifles. To provide the mobility for this force a total of 730 camels were purchased, some in Sheikh Othman and the remainder on arrival in Zaila. This was Aden’s contribution to what was called ‘The Suakin Expedition’.

In November that year, following the withdrawal of the last Egyptian troops from Zaila, the detachment was reduced to 100 Native Infantry. Also on 20 August Mr Walsh ICS had been sent to Berbera to act as Vice-Consul to administer the port and to supervise the withdrawal of the Egyptian garrison, this being completed on 3 October. In March 1885 a detachment of 100 Native Infantry would also be sent from Aden to garrison Berbera.

Since the Egyptian garrisons in Harrar province were to be evacuated through the ports on the Somali Coast, the Egyptian government asked for Britain to be ready to send a senior British officer to Harrar to help supervise the withdrawal. The officer selected was Major Heath, who was Brigade Major in Aden. It took some time to finalise arrangements for the withdrawal and it was not until mid-October 1884 that Heath would travel to Harrar to complete this task.

One effect of Aden’s involvement in the Suakin Expedition can be seen in the shipping statistics for this period.