African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1218: Occupation of Zalingei

Zalingei.

The capital of Darfur State in the previous life, this place was already part of the hinterland of the Darfur Plateau. It took the East African army less than two days to officially move into this important city in Darfur.

“Drive straight into the city center!”

Following Farsen's order, the 7th Infantry Regiment marched into the city of Zalingei in a swagger.

Calling it an urban area is already a sign of respect for the local indigenous people. The entire Zalingei is actually not as prosperous as the villages in East Africa. Due to climatic conditions, the population is only about three to four thousand people, and this is the largest residential area the 7th Infantry Regiment has seen so far.

As for why the speed is so fast, it is mainly due to the motorized construction of the East African army. Faced with this kind of steel creation, the local tribes in Darfur would tremble in their legs just by seeing the cars carrying East African soldiers and weapons and equipment, let alone resistance.

"May God bless you!" An Arab believer was shocked when he saw the car, a creation beyond his comprehension. He huddled in the house and secretly peeked through the window hole in the wall. The narrow earthen house might give them some psychological security.

Some brave Zalingei residents stood on the street, their eyes full of curiosity about East Africans and cars.

"The houses here are very similar to those in other parts of Sudan, all in earthy yellow, but they are built in a relatively neat manner. This is probably the most prosperous town in Darfur that we have seen along the way."

Farsen sat in the passenger seat, holding the armrest on the roof tightly with one hand and spoke to the driver.

The experience of military vehicles is naturally not much better, and the road conditions in Darfur are basically the same as having no roads at all, even in the so-called urban areas of Zalingei.

The so-called road is just a narrow passage between houses. It has been compacted a bit because of the coming and going of people, but this strength is simply not enough to bear the weight of an East African truck. It can be said that there was smoke all the way.

The East African soldiers in the rear carriage were covered with a thick layer of dust on their heads, clothes, and weapons and equipment.

"The situation is similar to what I expected. There is no army in the heart of Darfur now. Those tribal warriors armed with primitive cold weapons don't even have the desire to fight us." Farsen said.

"Captain, if it were me, I wouldn't stand up to the trucks with my iron knife and spear. In the eyes of these natives, military vehicles are probably no different from monsters."

Farsen's driver held the steering wheel firmly, paying attention to the road conditions while talking to Farsen.

Darfur is a remote place, and it is also a deserted place. Otherwise, the British would not have allowed this place to govern itself. If the Sultan of Darfur had not sent troops, I am afraid that the British would not want to bother with the Ali dinar.

The people of Darfur who live in a remote and poor area naturally have no knowledge. Their situation is only slightly better than that of the African natives decades ago. After all, they can still have some commercial exchanges with the Arab world, but such exchanges are also very effective.

Because this place is too poor, especially after East Africa blocked its borders, Darfur’s economic and trade channels with the southern grasslands were cut off, and it can’t even serve as a middleman.

Arabs are born businessmen. After all, the regions where they live generally do not have much material output. In the past, the Arab countries in the Middle East prospered by monopolizing the trade between the East and the West.

In the past, the Arabs in Darfur were similar. Darfur merchants could trade with black people in the southern grasslands and then transport them to other parts of North Africa.

However, since East Africa occupied the Azande Plateau, this kind of trade has basically come to an end. Especially after the opening of the northern railway, the supplies from the Azande Plateau basically chose to be shipped out to sea from Mombasa.

Cutting off someone's financial resources is like killing their parents. Darfur once tried to compete with this strange force in East Africa, but the final result was obvious: it was simply defeated.

Fortunately, the agricultural conditions in Darfur are not bad, and they can engage in some planting and nomadic farming to barely make ends meet. The distance from the outer edge of Zalingei to the center is not far, so soon, the vehicles of the 7th Infantry Regiment arrived while they were talking.

As for how to identify the city center, it is very simple. Just drive in the direction of the minaret of the Zalingei Mosque. The Zalingei Mosque is also the only building in Zalingei that looks decent.

Soon, a large group of troops from the 7th East African Infantry Regiment assembled in front of the mosque. Along the way, the 7th Infantry Regiment had sent out about two companies of troops to control the occupied area.

So when they arrived in Zalingei, the 7th Infantry Regiment was not fully manned, but the number of people was still considerable. Even if the indigenous armed forces and the British colonial army in the entire Darfur region united, they could not be the opponent of the 7th Infantry Regiment.

"Captain, this man is the sheriff of Zalingei. According to him, the tribal coalition forces in Darfur are currently fighting the British army in El Fasher in the east. The entire hinterland of Darfur is empty."

An East African warrior reported, carrying a local official in Arab clothing.

El Fasher was the capital of North Darfur in the previous life, and it was also the place where fierce fighting took place between the Sudanese government forces and local armed forces in Darfur.

It is also an important transportation route connecting eastern Sudan to the Darfur region.

At least if the British want to quell the rebellion, they must first take El Fasher before they can enter the heart of Darfur. Now the Darfur Sultan Ali Dinar is probably leading his troops to make a final resistance against the British colonial army.

This Ali Dinar also failed to see the situation clearly. Although Britain was indeed mired in the European war, the British colonial government in Egypt did not need any local support at all. It could suppress the entire Sudan region single-handedly, not to mention the Darfur region.

As the Sultan of Darfur, Ali Dinar does not have much power, which is closely related to the economic conditions, social culture, natural environment and terrain of the Darfur region.

The various regions in Darfur have difficulty communicating with each other and are scattered in oases. In addition, nomadic tribes account for a large proportion of the local population and are divided into two forces: black and white. Therefore, Darfur is, to a certain extent, a large tribal alliance.

It was because the British were too unkind in the past that many forces in Darfur gathered under Ali Dinar to seek independence and fight against the British.

But this kind of coalition is doomed to be very fragile. As long as Ali Dinar fails, they will immediately scatter.

Of course, East Africa was satisfied with a "freedom fighter" like Ali Dinar. Without his resistance to the British, East Africa's invasion of Darfur would not have been so smooth.

"Claisen, your battalion will be responsible for Zalingei and the surrounding areas. The commander and I will lead a large force to Fasher to end this farce." Hera said.

It is only two hundred kilometers from Zalingei to El Fasher. If the East African army sets out now, it will only take a few hours.

As for why it took Fasher and others two days to reach Zalingei, it was mainly because they overestimated the military strength of the Darfurians at the beginning.

Therefore, the 7th Infantry Regiment marched very cautiously at the beginning, especially on the first day, wasting most of its energy, only to find that there was no decent army in Darfur at all, and its main force had already gone to the east with Ali Dinar.

Only a small number of elite soldiers under Ali Dinar were able to use firearms, and most of the Darfur fighters could only fight against the British army with cold weapons.

Even the elite of Ali Dinar, or the British colonial army, the weapons in their hands could be said to be two orders of magnitude lower than those in East Africa. The regiment commander Farsen and the regiment staff Hera could not imagine how they could lose!
If they can't even defeat the British colonial army, then the East African Defense Force might as well just disband. Things are different now than during the South African War. East Africa not only has an absolute advantage in weapons and manpower, but also in logistics.

When the British colonial army encounters the 7th Infantry Regiment, they will have no choice but to give way. However, this will have to wait until the 7th Infantry Regiment arrives in El Fasher.

(End of this chapter)