Battle of Rejaf

Battle context

The Battle of Rejaf, fought between Belgian-led Congo Free State forces under Louis-Napoléon Chaltin and a Mahdist force of approximately 2,000 under Arabi Dafalla, resulted in a Congolese victory that permanently expelled the Mahdists from the Lado Enclave. The outcome extended Congo Free State presence to the Nile, where a new outpost was established. Within the broader Mahdist War, the engagement marked the effective end of Mahdist reach into this contested equatorial corridor, consolidating European control over the upper Nile region at a moment when rival colonial powers were actively competing for territorial footholds in the same area.