Christian de Bonchamps - The Fashoda Incident

The Fashoda Incident

In 1897 Bonchamps was appointed to lead a mission from Djibouti across Ethiopia to the River Nile at Fashoda in southern Sudan, to converge with the expedition of Major Jean-Baptiste Marchand coming from Brazzaville with orders to secure the area around Fashoda as a French protectorate. The ultimate objective was an ambitious plan on the part of French government to establish an axis of French colonies across the continent from east to west, Dakar to Djibouti, in competition with the British Empire's Cape to Cairo vision of British colonies across the continent from north to south. Ethiopia, one of only two independent nations on the continent at that time, stood in the way of a French route, but its ruler Menelik II was friendly towards the French and they understood he would grant them passage.

The Ethiopian Highlands were too great an obstacle, however, and the Bonchamps Expedition suffered accidents and attacks from hostile tribesmen. In addition, although Menelik II was helpful up to a point, he ordered a halt to the expedition in December 1897. The Marchand Expedition reached Fashoda in July 1898, but the Bonchamps Expedition was unable to complete the journey. In September, the Marchand Expedition was confronted by a British flotilla on the Nile leading to the Fashoda Incident, which eventually resulted in a diplomatic defeat for France and the withdrawal of the Marchand Expedition.

In 1892, upon returning from the Stairs Expedition, which achieved its objectives for the Belgian king, Bonchamps said he regretted that his suffering had not been for France. Five years later, provided with a similar opportunity, but different circumstances, to serve his country, his mission was ultimately unsuccessful.