Osman Digna

Osman Digna
Osman Digna
	Osman Digna in old age
Born	c. 1840; Suakin
Died	1926
Allegiance	Mahdist State
Years of service	1883–1899
Rank	Emir
Battles/wars	Mahdist War Battles of El Teb; Battle of Tamai; Battle of Kufit; Battle of Suakin; Battle of Atbara; Battle of Umm Diwaykarat; ;

Osman Digna (Arabic: عثمان دقنة) (c. 1840–1926) was a follower of Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Mahdi, in Sudan, who became his best known military commander during the Mahdist War. He was claimed to be a descendant from the Abbasid family. As the Mahdi's ablest general, he played an important role in the fate of General Charles George Gordon and the end of Turkish-Egyptian rule in Sudan.

In Britain, Osman Digna became a notorious figure, both demonised as a savage and respected as a warrior. Winston Churchill described him as an "astute" and "prudent" man, calling him "the celebrated, and perhaps immortal, Osman Digna."

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