<a french force of 150 tirailleurs set out from brazzaville under major jean-baptiste marchand with orders to secure the area around fashoda as a french protectorate. after an epic 14-month trek across the heart of africa they arrived on 10 July 1882. on 18 september, a powerful flotilla of british gunboats arrived at the isolated fort, led by lord kitchener. as the commander of the anglo-egyptian army that had just defeated the forces of the mahdi at the battle of omdurman, he was in the process of reconquering the sudan in the name of the egyptian khedive. both sides were polite but insisted on their right to fashoda. news of the meeting was relayed to paris and london, where it inflamed the imperial pride of both nations. widespread popular outrage followed, each side accusing the other of naked expansionism and aggression. the crisis continued throughout september and october, and both nations began to mobilise their fleets in preparation for war.
this is what the english wikipedia has to offer amongst other facts on this long march of commandant marchand. i found it impressing, that the monument wants to convince us that french white soldiers served their black combattants.

nein, der wochenendspaziergang auf den spuren der kolonialausstellung von 1931 in vincennes ist noch nicht vorbei. vom porte dorée führte er über das schon beschriebene palais zum zoologischen garten, den lac dausmenil, zum buddhistischen zentrum und schliesslich an die seite von commandant marchant, der mit seinen mannen aufstellung gegenüber dem palais genommen hat. wieder auf flickr zu sehen.