Extensive Definition
Kodok (Arabic:
كودوك) (formerly Fashoda) is a town in the southeastern Sudanese state
of Upper
Nile.
It is chiefly known for being the site of the
1898 Fashoda
Incident between the United
Kingdom and France. The British
were attempting to create a solid block of influence from southern
Africa through East Africa
to Egypt,
which was already under British control. Meanwhile, the French were
attempting to expand from West Africa
along the southern border of the Sahara
Desert in order to control all of the trade through the
Sahel. The
intersection of these lines of intended control passed through
Kodok and a standoff between armed expeditionary forces led the two
countries to the brink of war. The outcome in Britain's favour
contributed to the stabilisation of colonial claims and the
eventual end of the 'Scramble
for Africa'. The incident gave rise to what is known as the
'Fashoda
syndrome' in French foreign policy. In 1904 the development of
the Anglo-French Entente
Cordiale prompted the British to change the town's name to
Kodok in the hope of obliterating the memory of the incident.
fashoda in German: Kodok
fashoda in Spanish: Kodok
fashoda in Polish: Kodok