Only one African state managed to stave off the onslaught of European occupation during the Scrabble: Ethiopia, an ancient Christian kingdom, once ruled by the legendary Prester John. In 1896, when the Italians, with 10,000 European troops, invaded Ethiopia from their coastal enclave at Massawa on the Red sea, they were routed by the emperor, Menelik. The Italians were thus forced to confine themselves to occupying Eritrea.
Forty years later, however, the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, took revenge. Determined to construct an East African empire, he ordered the conquest of Ethiopia, using half a million troops, aerial bombardment and poison gas to accomplish it.
After a seven-months long campaign, Italian forces captured the capital, Addis Ababa, the Emperor, Haile Selassie, fled into exile in England, and Ethiopia was turned into an Italian province to add to Italian possessions in Eritrea and Somaliland.
- Martin Meredith, in the book, ‘The State of Africa’.
All hail Haile Selassie, Happy Posthumous Birthday to an African Legend for his heroic exploits and iconic legacy in the continent.
PUBLISHED BY LEADERSHIP SCORECARD MAGAZINE.
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