The Senussi Uprising

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict= The Senussi Uprising
partof= the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
date= 19 November 1915Citation |last=Parrott|first=Edward |title="The Senussi" |url=http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great_War/Turks/Senussi_01.htm] -February 1917
place= Egypt
result= British victory
combatant1= Senussi
combatant2= flagicon|United Kingdom British Empire
*flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
*flagicon|South Africa|1910 South Africa
*flagicon|India|British India
*flagicon|Australia Australia
commander1= Sayed Ahmed, Jaafar Pasha
commander2= W.E. Peyton, A. Wallace, Henry Lukin, H. W. Hodgeson
strength1= At least 5000 soldiers
strength2= Unknown
casualties1=At least 200 killed, at least 500 wounded
casualties2=At least 21 killed, at least 291 wounded

"N.B British forces employed against the Senussi not only included soldiers from The United Kingdom, but from South Africa, Australia and also included Sikh troops. Thus, any reference to British forces, is a reference to the multi-national forces used against the Senussi."

The Senussi Uprising took place from November 1915, to February 1917. The combatants were the Senussi, a religious sect composed of tribesmen based in Libya, supported by the Ottoman Empire and the German Empire, and the United Kingdom, supported by South African, Sikh, and Australian troops.Citation |last=Richard |first=J |title="Senussi Uprising, 1915-1917" |url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_senussi_uprising.html|accessdate=2007-09-09] It happened because the Ottoman Empire persuaded the head of the Senussi, the Grand Senussi Sayed Ahmed, in summer 1915, to order his tribesmen to attack British-occupied Egypt from the west, raise jihad, and encourage an insurrection in Egypt against the British. The Ottoman Empire has persuaded Sayed Ahmed to attack, because they believed that would increase the chance that the Ottomans could capture the Suez Canal from the east. The Senussi crossed the Libyan-Egyptian border in November 1915.

The Senussi planned three campaigns in different areas against the British. One campaign took place along the coastline of Egypt. In that campaign, which begun in November 1915, British forces initially withdrew but then defeated the Senussi in several engagements, including the battle of Agagia, and re-captured, with the assistance of South African reinforcements, all the lost Egyptian territory along the coastline by March 1916. The campaign against the Sudan was defeated. The last campaign, which started in February 1916, and in which Sayed Ahmed accompanied the Senussi forces involved, was directed against the 'band of oases' 100 miles west of the Nile. The Senussi captured several oases, until a counter-attack by British forces in October 1916 culminated in the withdrawal of the Senussi from Egypt in February 1917.

The Senussi has not roused the Egyptian population to rise against the British. Sayed Ahmed's standing amongst the Senussi has been decisively undermined by the defeat of the Senussi by the British. His nephew, Sayyid Mohammed el Idris, who had been against the idea of the Senussi attacking the British, gained favour at the expense of his uncle, who would go into exile in Constantinople. Great Britain and Italy would recognise Idris's position of Emir of Cyrenaica, and he would eventually become King Idris I of Libya.

Background

Before 1906, when the Senussi became involved in resistance against the French, they had been a "relatively peaceful religious sect of the Sahara Desert, opposed to fanaticism". When the Italians invaded Libya in 1911, occupying the coast, the Senussi resisted the Italians from the interior of the country. During their resistance against the Italians, the Senussi maintained generally friendly relations with the British in Egypt.

However, the First World War changed the suituation. The United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire were now at war with each other, and the leadership of the Ottoman Empire decided that they should encourage the Senussi to attack Egypt from the west. The Ottomon Empire wanted the Senussi to conduct a 'stab in the back' operation against the defenders of the Suez Canal, which the Ottomans wanted to capture. The Ottomon Empire had failed in previous attacks against British forces from the Sinai to the east, and wanted those forces to be attacked from the opposite direction. By November 1915, the strength of the British presence in Egypt had been reduced because soldiers had been transferred from Egypt for use at Gallipoli and in Mesopotamia. Egpyt's western border was being protected by the Egyptian coastguard.

In the summer of 1915 Turkish envoys, including Nuri Bey, the half brother of Enver Pasha, and Jaafar Pasha, a Baghdadi Arab serving in the Turkish Army who would later become the commander of Senussi forces employed during the coastal campaign, were successful in convincing the Grand Senussi Sayed Ahmed, leader of the Senussi, to agree to attack the British in Egypt from the west. His decision was not supported by every Senussi. The Ottoman Empire assisted the Senussi by providing them with machine guns and artillery. The German Empire, an ally of the Ottoman Empire, employed their submarines to deliver other modern weaponry to the Senussi.

Fighting

The Senussi planned three campaigns against the British in different areas. The first would be executed along the coastline of Egypt, towards Alexandria. The second would be directed against the 'band of oases' 100 miles west of the Nile. The third would be led by the Emir of Darfur, and would be directed against the Sudan. The Senussi Uprising began when 300-400 men attacked a British frontier post on the Egyptian border. The attack was beaten off by the British.

Coastal campaign (November 1915-March 1916)

Sayed Ahmed ordered his tribesmen to cross the Egyptian-Libyan border by 21 November 1915 to execute the coastal campaign. Between November, and early December, the British withdrew from Sollum, which was only defended by 4 British officers, and 120 British and Egyptian soldiers, and Sidi Barrani. Three Territorial infantry battalions, one battalion of Sikhs, three new cavalry regiments formed from the rear details of Yeomanry units who fought at Gallipoli as infantry, an Australian Light Horse regiment, a collection of Royal Navy armoured cars, and a battery of Royal Horse Artillery, were grouped together into the Western Frontier Force under Major-General A. Wallace, and this group concentrated at Mersa Matruh, tasked with opposing the Senussi. The Senussi had, to oppose the Western Frontier Force, 5000 infantrymen, supporting irregular troops, and Turkish artillery and machine guns. Despite being outnumbered, the Western Frontier Force was able to defeat the Senussi at Wadi Senba (11-13 December 1915), Wadi Majid (25 December 1915) and Halazin (23 January 1916), which reduced the threat the Senussi now presented. The Western Frontier Force in February 1916, now under the command of Major General W.E. Peyton, was reinforced by the South African Brigade, under the command of Brigadier-General H. T. Lukin. By this time, the British evacuation from Gallipoli had released numerous troops and naval vessels for employment in the campaign against the Senussi. A British column was sent west along the coast to re-capture Sollum in February, and was under the command of Brigadier-General Lukin. The column contained two regiments of South African infantry, the Dorset Yeomanry, detachments from the Hussars and the Royal Scots and a battery from the Nottinghamshire Royal Horse Artillery. On their way, the column was alerted that a Senussi encampment at Agagiya had been spotted by aircraft. On the 26th February, the column attacked. The British forces won the battle of Agagiya, capturning the commander of the Senussi forces employed in the coastal campaign, Jaafar Pasha. The retreating Senussi were attacked by the Dorset Yeomanry during the battle, but across open ground covered by enemy fire, the Yeomanry lost half their horses, and about a third of their men and officers were casualties (58 of the 184 who took part). Sollum was re-occupied by British forces on 14 March 1916. The coastal campaign was concluded in March 1916.

The 'band of oases' campaign (February 1916-February 1917)

The Senussi forces employed in the 'band of oases' campaign were accompanied by Sayed Ahmed. The campaign begun in February 1916. The oases at Baharai, Farafra, Dakhla and Kharge were captured by the Senussi by October 1916, forcing the British to maintain a large garrison in Upper Egypt in order to provide additional strength in the area. Between February and October, the British raised a mobile force consisting of the camel corps and light car units, which was used against the Senussi at Dakhla, between 17 and 22 October. The Senussi were forced from Dakhla, as a result of the fighting against them by the British. Sayed Ahmed retreated to the Senussi base at Siwa. A British force consisting of armoured cars, under the command of Brigadier-General H. W. Hodgeson was dispatched to Siwa in February 1917. On the way, during 3 to 5 February, close to Siwa, the armoured cars won an engagement against the Senussi. This forced Sayed Ahmed to withdraw from Egypt into Libya.

Conclusion of the fighting, and the consequences

By March 1917, all Senussi forces were ordered to withdraw from Egypt into Libya, resulting in the end of the Senussi Uprising. The attack by the Senussi on Egypt did not allow the Ottoman Empire to win against the British east of the Suez Canal. The majority of the Egyptian population did not join the jihad, and they did not rise against the British. Sayed Ahmed's position as Grand Senussi was heavily undermined by his defeat by the British. His influence declined, whilst that of his newphew, Sayyid Mohammed el Idris, increased. Sayed Ahmed was forced to go into exile in Constantinople as a result of his declining power. Great Britain and Italy would recognise Idris's position of Emir of Cyrenaica, and he would eventually become King Idris I of Libya.

References