ABSTRACT
Slatin Pasha received his appointment as inspector-general on 29 September 1900. The intelligence department remained Slatin’s second home even after he became inspector-general. He supervised its work and visited it daily when in Khartoum. It was there that his interviews with ‘All Dinar’s messengers, religious leaders, and other notables took place. In 1902, all the provincial governors were instructed that matters concerning nomad Arab tribes were to be dealt with by Slatin. Slatin’s system for dealing with turbulent tribes was by collective punishment. He ordered members of the tribe to be arrested at random and kept in prison until the whole tribe paid the fine. The explanation of Slatin’s authority lies in a number of factors. His vast experience of Sudan affairs, his fearless criticism, and his position as inspector-general which enabled him, alone among government officials, to gain an overall view of the country’s administration.
