Voicing his fear that the British were ready to conquer the Sudan, a fear shared by many in Egypt and soon to be proven correct, Kämil characterized the country as "Egyptian property" to which the British had no right. So as not to leave doubts about the forcible nature of Egypt's potential reconquest of the region lost to the Mahdï, Kämil announced that "our army, even less than our whole army, would have been enough to accomplish this result."

Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Coloni…, loc. 58