Italian conquest of the Horn of Africa (1924–1940)

The Italian conquest of the Horn of Africa was initiated in 1924 by the fascist government of Italy under Benito Mussolini. The Italian colony of Somalia had been totally pacified by late 1927.[7] In 1935, Mussolini launched an invasion of Ethiopia. By mid-1936, the Italian troops controlled the entire territory. In 1940, Italian troops invaded British Somaliland, expelling the British. The Italians also occupied the bordering Kenya areas along the Oltregiuba, around the villages of Moyale and Buna.

Italian conquest of the Horn of Africa
Part of the Interwar Period and the East African Campaign of World War II
Date March 1924 – 19 August 1940 Location Horn of Africa Result Italian victory Fascist "pacification" of Somalia (1924–27), conquest of Ethiopia (1935–36) and British Somaliland (1940) Formation and expansion of Italian East Africa
Belligerents
Italy Italian Eritrea	Sultanate of Hobyo Majeerteen Sultanate  Ethiopian Empire  British Empire
Commanders and leaders
Benito Mussolini	Sheikh Hassan Barsane  (POW) Omar Samatar Haile Selassie Arthur Chater
Casualties and losses
1,148 Italians killed (1935–36)[1] 161 Italian casualties (1940)[2]	275,000 Ethiopians killed (1935–36)[1][3] 260 British casualties (1940)[4] 1,000 Somali casualties (1940)[5]
150,000 Ethiopians killed by mustard gas[6]

Ethiopian losses from the Italian invasion and occupation

The Ethiopians recorded 275,000 combatants killed in action, 78,500 patriots (guerrilla fighters) killed during the occupation, 17,800 civilians killed by aerial bombardment and 30,000 in the February 1937 massacre, 35,000 people died in concentration camps, 24,000 patriots executed by Summary Courts, 300,000 persons died of privation due to the destruction of their villages, amounting to 760,300 deaths.[8]

See also

• Pacification of Libya
• Italian guerrilla war in Ethiopia

References

1. Shinn, David H.; Ofcansky, Thomas P. (2013). Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. p. 234. ISBN 9780810874572.
2. The Invasion of British Somaliland. The Aftermath.
3. Sandler, Stanley (2002). Ground Warfare: An International Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 160.
4. The Mediterranean and Middle East: The Early Successes Against Italy (to May 1941). pp. 178–179.
5. Le Operazioni in Africa Orientale: (giugno 1940 – novembre 1941) [Operations in East Africa: (June 1940 – November 1941)] (in Italian). 1988. p. 188.
6. Michael, Kinch (2016). A Prescription for Change: The Looming Crisis in Drug Development. UNC Press Books. p. 66.
7. Great Powers and Little Wars: The Limits of Power. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1993. p. 176.
8. "Secondary Wars and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century". Necrometrics.