Ali wad Hilu was one of the three Kalifas or lieutenants of Muhammad Ahmad

Muhammad Ahmad

Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah was a religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, on June 29, 1881, proclaimed himself as the Mahdi or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith...

 (1844-1885), who styled himself the Mahdi

Mahdi

In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...

, the others being Muhammad Sharif

Muhammad Sharif, Kalifa

Sayyid Muhammad Sharif was one of the three Kalifas or lieutenants of Muhammad Ahmad , who styled himself the Mahdi, the others being Ali wad Hilu and Abdallahi ibn Muhammad....

 and 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad.

Ali wad Hilu's followers included the Dighaym, Kianan and al-Lahiwiyin Baqqara Arabs from the Gezira region, which lies between the Blue Nile

Blue Nile

The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. With the White Nile, the river is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile...

 and the White Nile

White Nile

The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile from Egypt, the other being the Blue Nile. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal rivers...

.
He joined the Mahdi in 1881, and his warriors were the first of the Baqqara to join the cause.
His forces participated in the sack of Khartoum

Khartoum

Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...

 in January 1885 in which General Gordon died, and which established the Mahdi's control over the Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

.
When the British re-invaded the Sudan, at the Battle of Omdurman

Battle of Omdurman

At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the British Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad...

 (2 September 1898) he led a force of 5,000 fighting under his green flag.
For the next year he remained loyal to the Khalifa 'Abd Allah as he wandered in the regions of the White Nile

White Nile

The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile from Egypt, the other being the Blue Nile. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal rivers...

, Nuba Mountains

Nuba Mountains

Nuba Mountains is an area located in South Kordofan, Sudan. The area is home to a group of indigenous ethnic groups known collectively as the Nuba peoples. In the 18th century, Nuba Mountains became home to the kingdom of Taqali that controlled the hills of the mountains until their defeat by...

 and Kordofan.
Ali wad Hilu was killed at the Battle of Umm Dibaikarat (25 November 1899), where the Khalifa 'Abd Allah and other Mahdist leaders also died.