British and French rivalry left Zeila’s status unresolved.

Evidence

While this modest but surprisingly effective administration was being established, the Egyptian garrison withdrew from Harar without serious incident in 1885 and ‘Abdallah Muhammad, a Harari, was left as governor of the city with a British adviser. At the same time, the French were active at Obock: and their rivalry with the British, especially through their intrigues at Zeila conducted by the enterprising French Consul with the support of the Danakil governor, had become acute. Here the position of the local British officials was complicated by their government’s reluctance to come to a decision on the future status of Zeila. — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 161

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Italy sought Zeila and Harar but its parliament blocked the bid; Railway construction secured Jibuti’s prosperity while eclipsing Zeila’s trade — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 260

Related

• Italy sought Zeila and Harar but its parliament blocked the bid (similarity 0.93)
• Railway construction secured Jibuti’s prosperity while eclipsing Zeila’s trade (similarity 0.84)
• France gained most from its small Somali colony via the Jibuti railway (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Railway construction secured Jibuti’s prosperity while eclipsing Zeila’s trade #expands (0.80) — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 260