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ADWA
ITALIAN COLONIALISM IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
The completion of the formation of the modern Ethiopian Empire had become a reality by 1900. Simultaneous to the formation of the empire was the struggle of the Ethiopian peoples against foreign aggressors. Italian aggressive expansion into northern Ethiopia went as far back as their landing at the port of Massawa on 5 February 1885. Though Italy was invited to the port of Massawa by Britain, as a counter-force to the expansion of France in the region, she made her own activities to colonize Ethiopia. Firstly they occupied the coastal regions going inland up to 30-40 kilometers, such as Aylet, Wia and Saati, and headed to the highlands of Mereb Mellash. This violated the Hewitt Treaty of 1884. But the Italians continued their expansion into Mereb Mellash. The then governor of the Mereb Mellash, Ras Alula Engida (Aba Nega) warned the Italians to clear out of the Ethiopian regions. But the Italians refused, therefore a war broke out which came to be known as the Battle of Dogali in which the Italians faced their first defeat.
The wuchale treaty had two versions, one which was written in the Italian language and the other in the Ethiopian Language. The Italian version of article 17 stated that Ethiopia's foreign contacts must made strictly through the agency of Italy while the Ethiopian version states that Ethiopia could use the help of Italy in her foreign relations. By implication, the Italian version reduced Ethiopia to the status of an Italian protectorate. This was inevitable by the independent empire of Ethiopia. The Battle of Adwa was fought on 1 March , 1896. The Ethiopians for the first time in Africa defeated a European.
The battle of Adwa claimed the lives of thousands of fighters on both sides. The Italians, indeed, lost one third of their total number of 20000 troops, that included native recruits from their colony of Eritrea. About 3000 Italians were taken as captives of war. Ethiopia, too, lost about 7000 soldiers out of a total of about 100000troops. The war was concluded with complete victory for Ethiopia. The Italians were cleared out of all Tigrai and confined to their colony of Eritrea. Thus, their plan of colonizing the rest of Ethiopia failed.
The amazing thing in the battle of Adwa was that Ethiopia won while the Italians had advantage over the Ethiopians in modern arms.
JUST FOR FUN
This is the language of Ethiopians called Amharic. Emperor Yohannis once said it
to mobilize an army of 70,000 troops against the British in the Battle of Mekdela in which the Ethiopians lost
and the Emperor committed a heroic suicide.
