 However, the British allowed Darfur "de jure" autonomy until they became convinced during World War I that the sultanate was falling under the influence of the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey), invaded, and incorporated the region into Sudan in 1916.Within Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, the bulk of resources were devoted toward Khartoum and Blue Nile Province, leaving the rest of the country relatively undeveloped.The inhabitants of the river side states, referred to themselves as the "awlad al-beled" ("children of the country") in pride over their primary role and referred to the Westerners as "awlad al-gharb" ("children of the west"), an implicit slur.