Abstract: | Humphrey J. Fisher and Virginia Rowland, in 'Firearms in the Central Sudan' (Jl. Afr. Hist., 12 (1971), 2, p. 215-239) cite several factors which accounted for the ephemeral; impact of firearms in the Central Sudan, among them unfavourable trading conditions, inferior quality of the imported firearms, diversity of weapons and difficulty in obtaining compatible ammunition and replacement parts, shortage of repairmen, lack of training in gun handling, markmanship, and tactics. This negative assessment obscures certain fundamental changes in the nature of politico-military developments in the 19th century in Central Sudan. Purpose here is to re-examine the impact of. firearms in the Central Sudan in the light of these developments. Notes, summary. |