As early of February 1898, the Royal Niger Company reported finding Umar Sanda with 670 of his followers along the border of Damagaram and Kano asking for their help against Rabih.

[3] Umar Sanda formally asked the French to recognise him as the ruler of Bornu and help him against Rabih when he met the Foureau–Lamy Mission in Begra.

The French accepted his request as they thought it was a good bargain after witnessing the deep respect and love the Bornu people had for Sanda Kura.

With this "legal" reason, the French alongside the Shehu's and Gwarang's forces launched an attack on Rabih and killed him on 22 April 1900 in Kusseri.

It is speculated that the Shehu was bitter against the Shuwa, many of whom had defected to Rabih in 1893 and even after his death preferred to support his son Fadl-Allah as ruler of Bornu rather than Umar Sanda Kura.

The French, in response, withdrew their "recognition" of Umar Sanda as Shehu and recognised his more "pliable" brother Abubakar Garbai.