Editing Italian East Africa

{{Short description|Italian colony in the Horn of Africa from 1936 to 1941}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Italian East Africa
| common_name            = Italian East Africa
| native_name = {{native name|it|Africa Orientale Italiana}}<br /> {{collapsible list
| titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:86%;
| title = In native languages
| {{Infobox
| subbox=yes
| bodystyle=font-size:77%;font-weight:normal;
| rowclass1 = mergedrow
| data1 = {{native name|ar|شرق أفريقيا الإيطالية}}
| rowclass2 = mergedrow
| data2 = {{native name|so|Talyaaniga Bariga Afrika}}
| rowclass3 = mergedrow
| data3 = {{native name|am|የጣሊያን ምሥራቅ አፍሪካ}}
| rowclass4 = mergedrow
| data4 = {{native name|om|Xaaliyaanii Baha Afrikaa}}
| rowclass5 = mergedrow
| data5 = {{native_name|ti|ኢጣልያ ምብራቕ ኣፍሪቃ}}
}} }}
| era                    = [[Interwar period]] to [[World War II]]
| status_text            = [[Italian Empire|Colony]] of [[Fascist Italy|Italy]]
| status                 = [[Colony]]
| empire                 = Italy
| event_pre              = [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War|Italian Ethiopia proclaimed by Italy]]
| date_pre               = 9 May 1936
| event_start            = Italian Ethiopia declared part of Italian East Africa
| year_start             = 1936
| date_start             = 1 June
| event1                 = [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War#Subsequent operations|Second Italo-Ethiopian War ends]]
| date_event1            = 19 February 1937
| event2                 = [[British Somaliland]] [[Italian invasion of British Somaliland|annexed]]
| date_event2            = 19 August 1940
| event3                 = [[East African campaign (World War II)|Allied occupation]]
| date_event3            = 27 November 1941
| event_end              = {{nowrap|[[Treaty of Paris between Italy and the Allied Powers|Relinquished by Italy]]}}
| year_end               = 1947
| date_end               = 10 February
| life_span              = 1936–1941
| p1                     = Italian Eritrea{{!}}'''1936:'''<br />Italian Eritrea
| flag_p1                = Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg
| p2                     = Italian Somaliland
| flag_p2                = Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg
| p3                     = Ethiopian Empire
| flag_p3                = Flag of Ethiopia (1897–1974).svg
| p4                     = Sultanate of Aussa{{!}}'''1937:'''<br />Sultanate of Aussa
| flag_p4                = Red flag.svg
| p5                     = British Somaliland{{!}}'''1940:'''<br />British Somaliland
| flag_p5                = Flag of British Somaliland (1903–1950).svg
| s1                     = British Military Administration (Eritrea){{!}}Military Administration in Eritrea
| flag_s1                = Flag of UK.svg
| s2                     = British Military Administration (Somaliland){{!}}Military Administration in Somaliland
| flag_s2                = Flag of UK.svg
| s3                     = Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (Ethiopia){{!}}Military Administration in Ethiopia
| flag_s3                = Flag of UK.svg
| s4                     = Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement#British Ogaden{{!}}Military Administration in Ogaden
| flag_s4                = Flag of UK.svg
| s5                     = British Somaliland
| flag_s5                = Flag of British Somaliland (1903–1950).svg
| image_flag             = Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg
| flag_caption           = [[Flag of Italy|Flag]]
| image_coat             = COA of Italian East Africa (Wiki Style).svg
| symbol_type            = Coat of arms
| image_map             = Italian East Africa.png
| image_map_caption     = Italian East Africa in 1941:
 {{plainlist | style = padding-center: 0.6em; text-align: left |
:::: {{Legend|#336432|Italian East Africa}}
:::: {{Legend|#54A754|[[Italian invasion of British Somaliland|Conquered in 1940]]}}
:::: {{Legend|#666666|[[Italian Empire|Italian controlled territory]]}}
:::: {{Legend|#333333|[[Kingdom of Italy]]}}
}}
| capital                = [[Addis Ababa]]
| national_motto         = ''[[FERT]]''<br />(Motto for the [[House of Savoy]])
| national_anthem        = {{center|''[[Marcia Reale d'Ordinanza]]''<br />{{small|"Royal March of Ordinance"}}<br/>[[File:Marcia Reale.ogg]]}}
| common_languages       = [[Italian language|Italian]] (official), [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Oromo language|Oromo]], [[Amharic language|Amharic]], [[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]], [[Somali language|Somali]], [[Tigre language|Tigre]]
| leader1                = {{nowrap|[[Victor Emmanuel III]]}}
| year_leader1           = 1936–1941
| title_leader           = [[Emperor of Ethiopia|Emperor]]
| representative1        = [[Pietro Badoglio]]
| representative2        = [[Rodolfo Graziani]]
| representative3        = [[Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta|Amedeo di Aosta]]
| representative4        = [[Pietro Gazzera]]
| representative5        = [[Guglielmo Nasi]]
| year_representative1   = 1936
| year_representative2   = 1936–1937
| year_representative3   = 1937–1941
| year_representative4   = 1941 {{small|(acting)}}
| year_representative5   = 1941 {{small|(acting)}}
| title_representative   = [[List of governors-general of Italian East Africa|Governor-General]]{{efn|The full title was ''Viceroy of Ethiopia and Governor General of Italian East Africa''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Page |first1=Melvin E |last2=Sonnenburg |first2=Penny M |title=Colonialism: An International Social, Cultural and Political Encyclopedia |date=2006 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781576077627 |page=1054 |language=en |oclc=690378095}}</ref>}}
| currency               = [[Italian East African lira]]
| stat_year1             = 1939<ref name="Istat 2010">{{cite journal |last=Istat |author-link=National Institute of Statistics (Italy) |title=I censimenti nell'Italia unita I censimenti nell'Italia unita Le fonti di stato della popolazione tra il XIX e il XXI secolo ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI STATISTICA SOCIETÀ ITALIANA DI DEMOGRAFIA STORICA Le fonti di stato della popolazione tra il XIX e il XXI secolo |journal=Annali di Statistica |date=December 2010 |volume=2 |series=XII |page=263 |url=http://www3.istat.it/dati/catalogo/20120911_00/Annali_serie_XII_vol_2_anno_141_I_Censimenti_nell'Italia_unita_bis.pdf |access-date=24 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803195051/http://www3.istat.it/dati/catalogo/20120911_00/Annali_serie_XII_vol_2_anno_141_I_Censimenti_nell'Italia_unita_bis.pdf |archive-date=3 August 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| stat_area1             = 1725000
| stat_pop1              = 12,100,000
| today                  = [[Eritrea]]<br/>[[Somalia]]<br />[[Ethiopia]]<br />[[Somaliland]]
| footnotes              = 
| symbol_type_article    = :it:Stemma_dell'Africa_Orientale_Italiana
| demonym                = 
| area_km2               = 
| area_rank              = 
| GDP_PPP                = 
| GDP_PPP_year           = 
| HDI                    = 
| HDI_year               = 
}}

'''Italian East Africa''' ({{langx|it|Africa Orientale Italiana}}, A.O.I.){{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=xi}} was a short-lived [[Italian Empire|colonial possession]] of [[Fascist Italy]] from 1936 to 1941 in the [[Horn of Africa]].{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=7}}{{sfn|Mockler|2019|p=475}}{{sfn|Pergher|2017|p=4}} It was established following the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]], which led to the [[military occupation]] of the [[Ethiopian Empire]] (Abyssinia).{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=xvii}}{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=163}} It encompassed [[Italian Somaliland]], [[Italian Eritrea]] and the acquired Ethiopian territories, all governed by a single administrative unit, the Governo Generale dell'Africa Orientale Italiana.{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=7}}{{sfn|Mockler|2019|p=165}} Its establishment contributed to the outbreak of the [[World War II| Second World War]] by exposing the weaknesses of the [[League of Nations]].{{Sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=35}}{{sfn|Pergher|2017|p=18}}{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=352}}

Italian East Africa was divided into [[governorates of Italian East Africa|six governorates]]. Eritrea and Somalia, Italian possessions since the 1880s, were enlarged with captured Ethiopian territory and became the [[Eritrea Governorate|Eritrea]] and [[Somalia Governorate| Somalia Governorates]]. The remainder of the occupied Ethiopian territories comprised the [[Harar Governorate|Harar]], [[Galla-Sidamo Governorate|Galla-Sidamo]], [[Amhara Governorate|Amhara]], and [[Scioa Governorate| Scioa Governorates]]. At its largest extent, Italian East Africa occupied territories in [[British Somaliland]], [[Kenya Colony |British Kenya]], and [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan]].{{sfn|Stewart|2016|p=75-147}} By 1939, it was settled by about 165,270 Italian colonists.

During World War II, Italian East Africa became the battleground of the [[East African campaign (World War II)|East African campaign]] (part of the [[Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II|Mediterranean and Middle East theater]]).{{sfn|Stewart|2016}} After the [[Battle of Gondar]] in November 1941, it was occupied by a [[British Empire in World War II|British]]-led force including colonial units and Ethiopian [[Arbegnoch|resistance fighters]].{{sfn|Stewart|2016|p=191-204,228-231}}{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=164-186}} All former Italian territories came under British administration;{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=xvii}} [[Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (Ethiopia)|occupied Ethiopia]] was ruled until full sovereignty was [[Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement#Negotiating a new agreement|restored in 1944]]. In 1950, [[British Military Administration (Somaliland)|Allied occupied Somalia]] became the [[United Nations]] [[Trust Territory of Somaliland]], administered by [[Italy]] from 1950 until its independence in 1960. [[British Military Administration (Eritrea)|Allied occupied Eritrea]] became an [[Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea|autonomous part of Ethiopia]] in 1952. It was later annexed by the Ethiopian Empire in 1962 and gained its independence in 1993 as [[Eritrea]].{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=xviii}}

==History==
=== Italian ambitions and rise of fascism ===
{{main|Italian fascism|Italian imperialism under fascism}}
[[File:March on Rome.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] and the fascist paramilitary Blackshirts' [[March on Rome]] in October 1922. Marshal [[Emilio De Bono| De Bono]], standing left of Mussolini, commanded Italian forces during the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]]]]
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Italy sought to expand its [[Italian Empire|colonial empire]], competing with other European powers for overseas territories. Early efforts included the colonization of Eritrea (1890) and Italian Somaliland (1905), followed by the unsuccessful invasion of the [[Ethiopian Empire]] in the [[First Italo-Ethiopian War]] (1895–1896).{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=xiv-xvii}}  After [[World War I]], nationalist sentiments grew, fueled by the belief that Italy had been denied its rightful territorial rewards for its contribution to the war effort, a sentiment known as the [[Mutilated victory| Mutilated Victory]] ({{langx|it|Vittoria Mutilata}}).<ref>Cfr. Gabriele D'Annunzio, in an editorial in ''Corriere della Sera'', October 24, 1918, ''Vittoria nostra, non sarai mutilata'' ('Our victory will not be mutilated')</ref>{{sfn|Pergher|2017|p=32}} The combination of mobilization costs and the [[Fascist and anti-Fascist violence in Italy (1919–1926)| social unrest]] that followed the war is widely thought to have strengthened [[Italian irredentism]] and [[Italian nationalism| nationalism]].{{sfn|Kallis|2000|p=16}} This frustration contributed to the rise of [[Benito Mussolini]] and his [[Fascist Italy| Fascist regime]] in 1922.{{Sfn|Kallis|2000}} 

Mussolini injected a new and aggressive impetus into these frustrations and ambitions, framing colonial expansion as a means to  [[Succession of the Roman Empire|restore Roman greatness]], enhance national prestige, and solve Italy's [[Economy of fascist Italy|economic problems]] by providing land and resources.{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=121}}{{sfn|Pergher|2017|p=2}} Mussolini believed the Italian people lacked a strong nationalistic and [[Colonization|colonial]] conscience and thus sought to cultivate these sentiments through [[Propaganda in Fascist Italy|Fascist propaganda]], particularly in the lead-up to the invasion and during occupation of the Ethiopia Empire.{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=180}} This propaganda emphasized Italy's need for [[Spazio vitale|colonial territories]] ({{langx|it|spazio vitale}}), the perceived danger of Ethiopian aggression, and the injustice of international opposition to Italian expansion.{{sfn|Campbell|2017}} The [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War|conquest of Ethiopia]] in 1936 and the subsequent formation of Italian East Africa were presented as major achievements of the Fascist regime, aimed at fulfilling long-standing Italian ambitions and establishing Italy as a major power.{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=18}}{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=121}} Despite earlier consideration of a [[Protectorate|protectorate]] over parts of Ethiopia, the Fascist government pursued [[Conquest|full conquest]], driven by Mussolini's determination to achieve a significant colonial victory to bolster his regime's legitimacy and international standing.{{Sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=269-271}} This ambition, however, was met with [[Arbegnoch|Ethiopian resistance]] and [[Abyssinia Crisis|international complications]].{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=44}}{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=164-186}} This further [[Axis powers|aligned]] Italy with [[Nazi Germany]], setting the stage for its involvement in World War II.{{sfn|Burgwyn|1997}} 

=== Second Italo-Ethiopian War ===
{{main|Second Italo-Ethiopian War}}
[[File:Mussolini truppe Etiopia.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.9|Mussolini inspecting troops during the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]]]]
The [[Italo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1928]] stated that the border between Italian Somaliland and Ethiopia was 21 [[league (unit)|leagues]] parallel to the [[Benadir]] coast. In 1934, a  [[Ual-Ual Incident|border clash]] at [[Ual-Ual|Ual-Ual]] between Italian and Ethiopian forces during a boundary survey provided Mussolini with a pretext for a war.{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=21}} The [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]] began [[War of aggression|without prior declaration of war]] in October 1935, with Italy sending a [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War order of battle: Italy|modern army]] of two hundred thousand soldiers commanded by Marshal [[Emilio De Bono]] and General [[Rodolfo Graziani]] (and later [[Pietro Badoglio]]). This army was equipped with superior weaponry, including an [[Regia Aeronautica|air force]] and [[Fiat 3000|tanks]]. Italian troops used [[mustard gas]] in aerial bombardments (in violation of the [[Geneva Protocol]] and [[Geneva Conventions]]) against combatants and civilians in an attempt to discourage the Ethiopian people from supporting the resistance.{{sfn|Belladonna|2015}}{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=57-85}}{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=37}} This military superiority over the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War order of battle: Ethiopia|Ethiopian army]], combined with the then Ethiopian Emperor [[Haile Selassie|Haile Selassie]]'s initial strategy of engaging in [[Frontal assault|frontal battles]] led to significant Italian victories.{{sfn|Gooch|2020}} During the late stages of the war, Italian forces violated [[International humanitarian law|international agreements]] by bombing [[International Committee of the Red Cross|Red Cross]] ambulances and hospitals, claiming these actions were in retaliation for alleged [[Gondrand massacre|Ethiopian atrocities]].{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=4-56}}{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=38}}

While some Italians initially opposed the war due to fears of a broader European conflict and Italy's [[Financial stability|financial instability]], the Italian public largely shifted to support Mussolini following reported victories.{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=35-36}} Selassie was forced to flee to [[England]], with Italian forces [[March of the Iron Will|entering the capital city]], [[Addis Ababa]] by 5 May 1936. Shortly after, Mussolini proclaimed an "Italian Empire of Ethiopia" and the [[Italian Empire]] on May 9, 1936.{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=105}}  Following the Italian conquest, [[Arbegnoch|Ethiopian patriotic resistance]] continued in various parts of the country, particularly in the north and northwest. The resistance, although facing the challenge of Italy's modern military and harsh reprisals, prevented Italy from fully controlling Ethiopia and hindered its plans for [[Exploitation of natural resources|economic and demographic exploitation]].{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=43}}{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=164-186}}{{sfn|Stewart|2016|p=14-16,191-204,228-231}} This ongoing opposition set the stage for Ethiopia's eventual [[East African campaign (World War II)|involvement]] in the [[Second World War]].{{sfn|Stewart|2016|p=191-204,228-231}}

=== League of Nations ===
{{main|League of Nations|Abyssinia Crisis}}
Since 28 September 1923, The Ethiopian Empire had been one of the member states of the [[League of Nations]] after its membership was supported by Mussolini.{{Sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=8}} Following Italy's [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War|invasion]], the League imposed [[Economic sanctions|economic sanctions]] on Italy, restricting trade in arms, [[Natural rubber|rubber]], and certain [[Raw material|raw materials]].{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=21}} However, the sanctions did not include [[Fuel oil|oil]], which was needed for Italy's war effort.{{Sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=214-218}} France and Britain, concerned about maintaining good relations with Italy against the growing [[Nazi Germany|German]] threat, [[Hoare–Laval Pact|hesitated]] to enforce harsher penalties ([[Appeasement#Abyssinia crisis|appeasement]]). In 1936, the League lifted the sanctions, effectively legitimizing Italy's conquest. The failure of the League to [[Collective security|protect]] the Ethiopian Empire exposed its weaknesses, demonstrating its inability to deter aggression from major powers. This failure was a key moment in [[Causes of World War II|the lead-up to World War II]], undermining the League's credibility as a force for global peace.{{Sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=35}}{{sfn|Pergher|2017|p=18}}{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=352}} Although Selassie fled to [[England]] and appealed to the League of Nations for help, many nations gradually recognized the Italian annexation for political and economic reasons.{{sfn|O'Mahoney|2018|p=105}}{{Sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=209}} On 18 November 1936, the [[Italian Empire]] was recognised by the [[Empire of Japan]] and Italy recognised the Japanese occupation of [[Manchuria]], marking the end of the [[Stresa Front]]. Mussolini's international popularity further decreased as he endorsed the [[Anschluss|annexation of Austria]] by [[Nazi Germany]], beginning a political tilt toward Germany that eventually led to the [[Fall of the Fascist regime in Italy|downfall of Mussolini and the Fascist regime in Italy]] in [[World War II]]. 

[[File:Emperor Haile Selassie League of Nations speech.png|right|thumb|Selassie at the [[League of Nations]] appealing Italy's invasion in 1936]]
On 12 May 1936, the League of Nations allowed Selassie to [[Haile Selassie's speech to the League of Nations (1936)| address the assembly]]. Selassie was introduced as "His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Ethiopia" ({{langx|fr|Sa Majesté Imperiale, l'Empereur d'Éthiopie}}), to jeering and whistling by Italian journalists.{{sfn|Moseley|1999|p=27}} The Romanian delegate [[Nicolae Titulescu]] shouted "To the door with the savages!" ({{langx|ro|A la porte les sauvages!}}), and the journalists were removed from the hall. Selassie responded with a speech.<ref>[[Delia Jarrett-Macauley|Jarrett-Macauley, Delia]] (1998), ''The Life of Una Marson, 1905–65'', Manchester University Press, {{ISBN|0-7190-5284-X}}, pp. 102–3.</ref><ref>Barker, A. J., ''The Rape of Ethiopia 1936'', p. 133</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Safire |first=William |year=1997 |title=Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History |publisher=W.W. Norton |isbn=978-0-393-04005-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/lendmeyourearsgr00safi |pages=297–298}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Luti |first=William |date=2 April 2022 |title=A 1936 Speech Offers Dire Warnings for Today |work=Hudson |url=https://www.hudson.org/foreign-policy/a-1936-speech-offers-dire-warnings-for-today |access-date=29 December 2023 |archive-date=29 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229213528/https://www.hudson.org/foreign-policy/a-1936-speech-offers-dire-warnings-for-today |url-status=live }}</ref> In a speech on 30 June 1936 to the assembly, he predicted "It is us today, it will be you tomorrow" if the League of Nations permited Italian aggression.{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=352}} Mussolini grew frustrated over the continued recognition of Selassie by the League of Nations and on 11 December 1937 announced the withdrawal of Italy's delegation to the League.{{sfn|Spencer|2006|p=72}}

=== Second World War ===
{{main|East African campaign (World War II)}}
[[File:Map Eritrean Campaign 1941-en.svg|thumb|150px|East Africa Campaign northern front: Allied advances in 1941]]

On 10 June 1940, Italy declared war on Britain and [[French Third Republic|France]], which made Italian military forces in [[Libya]] a threat to [[Egypt]] and those in the Italian East Africa a danger to the British and French territories in the [[Horn of Africa]]. Italian belligerence also closed the Mediterranean to Allied merchant ships and endangered British supply routes along the coast of East Africa, the [[Gulf of Aden]], [[Red Sea]] and the [[Suez Canal]]. (The [[Kingdom of Egypt]] remained [[Neutrality (international relations)|neutral]] during World War II, but the [[Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936]] allowed the British to occupy Egypt and [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan]].)<ref name=playfair>{{cite book |last1=Playfair |first1=Ian Stanley Ord |last2=Molony |first2=Chartres James Chatterton |last3=Stitt |first3=George Marquis Stewart |last4=Toomer |first4=Sydney Edward |title=The Mediterranean and Middle East |date=1954 |language=en |oclc=504230580}}</ref>{{rp|6–7, 69}} Egypt, the Suez Canal, [[French Somaliland]] and [[British Somaliland]] were also vulnerable to invasion, but the ''[[Comando Supremo]]'' (Italian General Staff) had planned for a war after 1942. In the summer of 1940, Italy was far from ready for a long war or for the occupation of large areas of Africa.<ref name=playfair/>{{rp|38–40}}

Hostilities began on 13 June 1940, with an Italian air raid on the base of [[No. 237 Squadron RAF|1 Squadron Southern Rhodesian Air Force]] (237 (Rhodesia) Squadron RAF) at [[Wajir]] in the [[East Africa Protectorate]] (Kenya). In August 1940, the [[protectorate]] of [[Italian conquest of British Somaliland|British Somaliland]] was occupied by Italian forces and absorbed into Italian East Africa, which lasted around six months.<ref>{{cite book |last=Raugh |first=H. E. |title=Wavell in the Middle East, 1939–1941: A Study in Generalship |year=1993 |publisher=Brassey's |location=London |isbn=978-0-08-040983-2 |pages=67, 72–73}}</ref> [[Anthony Eden]], the [[Secretary of State for War]], convened a conference in Khartoum at the end of October 1940 with Selassie, South African Prime Minister [[Jan Smuts]], Wavell, Lieutenant-General [[William Platt]] and Lieutenant-General [[Alan Cunningham]]. A plan to attack Italian East Africa, including support for Ethiopian resistance forces, was agreed.{{sfn|Dear|2005|p=245}} [[Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell|General Wavell]], commander of British troops in the Middle East, charged [[Daniel Sandford (British Army officer)|Colonel Sandford]] to make plans to aid and mobilize the Ethiopian patriots.{{Sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=307}}{{sfn|Mockler|2019|p=190}} 

By early 1941, Italian forces had been largely pushed back from [[Kenya]] and [[Sudan]]. On 6 April 1941, [[Addis Ababa]] was occupied by the [[11th (African) Division]], which received the surrender of the city.<ref name=playfair/>{{rp|421–422}} The remnants of the Italian forces in the Italian East Africa surrendered after staging a last stand at the [[Battle of Gondar]] in November 1941. In Ethiopia, some Italian forces continued to fight in an [[Italian guerrilla war in Ethiopia]] against the British and Ethiopian forces until the [[Armistice of Cassibile]] (3 September 1943) ended hostilities between Italy and the Allies.<ref>[http://www.centrorsi.it/notizie/images/stories/casssa/cassa%20nastro%20azzurro117.jpg Italian Map showing with green lines the territories conquered in 1940 by the Italians in Sudan and Kenya. British and French somaliland are shown in white, as part of the A.O.I. (Africa Orientale Italiana). It also shows the last areas of Italian stand before surrender in 1941]</ref>  In January 1942, with the final official surrender of the Italians, the British signed an interim [[Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement]] with Selassie, acknowledging Ethiopian sovereignty. [[Makonnen Endelkachew]] was named as Prime Minister and on 19 December 1944, the final Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement was signed.

===Treaty of Paris 1947===
{{main|Treaty of Paris between Italy and the Allied Powers}}
In the [[Treaty of Peace with Italy, 1947|peace treaty of February 1947]], Italy officially renounced sovereignty over its African colonies of Libya, Eritrea and Somalia (art. 23) and recognized the independence of Ethiopia (art. 33).<ref>{{cite web |title=Treaty of Peace with Italy |url=https://reparations.qub.ac.uk/assets/uploads/m-ust000004-0311.pdf |publisher=Queen's University Belfast |access-date=March 26, 2025}}</ref> Italy further agreed to:
* Pay war reparation of US$25,000,000 to Ethiopia
* Accept "Annex XI of the Treaty", upon the recommendation of the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 390, that indicated that Eritrea was to be federated with Ethiopia.
 
[[Eritrea]] was placed under [[British Military Administration (Eritrea)|British military administration]] and became an [[Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea|autonomous part of Ethiopia]] in 1952. After 1945, Britain controlled both Somalilands, as [[protectorate]]s. In November 1949, the United Nations granted Italy trusteeship of [[Italian Somaliland]] under close supervision, on condition that Somalia achieve independence within ten years.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zolberg |first1=Aristide R |last2=Aguayo |first2=Sergio |last3=Suhrke |first3=Astri |title=Escape from Violence: Conflict and the Refugee Crisis in the Developing World |date=1992 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=106 |isbn=9780195079166 |language=en |oclc=718241912}}</ref> British Somaliland became independent on 26 June 1960 as the [[State of Somaliland]], the [[Trust Territory of Somalia]] (ex-Italian Somaliland) became independent on 1 July 1960 and the territories united as the [[Somali Republic]].<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The New Encyclopædia Britannica |year=2002 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |location=Chicago |edition=15th |isbn=978-0-85229-787-2}}</ref>{{rp|835}} After the war, [[Italian Ethiopians]] were given a full pardon by the newly returned Selassie, as he saw the opportunity to continue the modernization efforts of the country.

==Italian occupation==
===Administration===
{{main|List of governors-general of Italian East Africa|List of governors of the governorates of Italian East Africa}}
[[File:Amadeo Aosta3rd 01.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta]], longest serving Governor General of Italian East Africa]]
Italian East Africa was administered by a single administrative unit, the Governo Generale dell'AOI. (GGAOI), with the city of [[Addis Abeba Governorate| Addis Abeba]] as its capital.{{sfn|Mockler|2019}}{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=xii}} The colonial government was overseen by [[Ministry of the Colonies (Italy)|Ministry of Italian Africa]] ({{langx|it|Ministro per l'Africa italiana}}) and was administered by a [[List of Governors-General of Italian East Africa|Viceroy of Ethiopia and Governor General of Italian East Africa]], appointed by the Italian king. [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy]] consequently adopted the title of "Emperor of Ethiopia". The dominion was further divided for administrative purposes into [[Governorates of Italian East Africa|six governorates]], further divided into forty ''commissariati.''

Fascist colonial policy in Italian East Africa had a [[Divide and rule|divide and conquer]] characteristic. To weaken the Orthodox Christian [[Amhara people]] who had run Ethiopia in the past, territory claimed by Eritrean [[Tigrinya people|Tigray-Tigrinyas]] and [[Somalis]] was given to the [[Eritrea Governorate]] and [[Somalia Governorate]].<ref name="cann"/>{{rp|5}} Reconstruction efforts after the war in 1936 were partially focused on benefiting the Muslim peoples in the colony at the expense of the [[Amhara people|Amhara]] to strengthen support by [[Muslims]] for the Italian colony.<ref name="cann"/>{{rp|5}} 

In 1938 Mussolini enacted [[Italian racial laws|The Italian Racial Laws]] ({{langx|it|Leggi Razziali}}), which institutionalized [[racial discrimination]] against [[Italian Jews]] and African inhabitants of the Italian Empire. These laws, and later a policy of pacification by apartheid, enforced segregation and reinforced [[Racial hierarchy|racial hierarchies]] in Italy's colonies, further aligning Italian fascism with [[Nazism|Nazi ideology]]. Italians and Natives were racially segregated and lived in separate parts of towns.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Forgacs |first=David |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Italy_s_Margins/4VEHAwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Italy's Margins: Social Exclusion and Nation Formation since 1861 |date=2014-03-27 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-05217-8 |language=en}}</ref> Interracial marriage was prohibited and so was having children between those of different races. However concubinages did exist. Those who were mixed-race could not get Italian citizenship or go to schools meant for Italians. Married Italian colonists had to bring their families and those who were unmarried could not employ servants.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aldrich |first=Robert |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Colonial_World/NWCeEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=The Colonial World: A History of European Empires, 1780s to the Present |last2=Stucki |first2=Andreas |date=2022-12-29 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-350-09242-6 |language=en}}</ref>

===Territory===
[[File:Italian East Africa (1938–1941).svg|thumb|220px|Administrative [[Governorates of Italian East Africa|subdivisions]] of Italian East Africa]]

When established in 1936, Italian East Africa consisted of the old Italian possessions in the [[Horn of Africa]]: [[Italian Eritrea]] and [[Italian Somaliland]], combined with the recently conquered [[Empire of Ethiopia]].<ref name="italian colonialism">{{cite book |last1=Fuller |first1=Mia |editor1-last=Ben-Ghiat |editor1-first=Ruth |title=Italian Colonialism. |date=2016 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US |isbn=9781403981585 |language=en |oclc=961059564}}</ref> The territory was divided into the [[governorates of Italian East Africa|six governorates]]: [[Eritrea Governorate|Eritrea]] and [[Somalia Governorate|Somalia]], consisting of the respective former colonies, enlarged with territory from Ethiopia. The remainder of "[[Italian Ethiopia]]" consisted of the [[Harar Governorate|Harar]], [[Galla-Sidamo Governorate|Galla-Sidamo]], [[Amhara Governorate|Amhara]], and [[Addis Abeba Governorate]]s. The Addis Abeba Governorate was enlarged into the [[Scioa Governorate]] with territory from neighboring Harar, Galla-Sidamo and Amhara in November 1938.

Italian East Africa was briefly enlarged in 1940, as Italian forces [[Italian invasion of British Somaliland|invaded]] [[British Somaliland]], thereby bringing all Somali territories, aside from the small colony of [[French Somaliland]], under Italian administration. At its largest extent, The colony occupied territories in [[British Somaliland]], [[Kenya Colony |British Kenya]], and [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan]]. However, it was dismembered only a year later, when in the course of the [[East African campaign (World War II)|East African campaign]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Cambridge history of Africa. Vol. 8, From c. 1940 to c. 1975 |last=Clapham |first=Christopher |publisher=Cambridge University Press |others=Crowder, Michael, 1934-1988. |year=1984 |isbn=9781139054621 |editor-last=Crowder |editor-first=Michael |location=Cambridge |pages=460 |chapter=The Horn of Africa |oclc=317592773}}</ref>

===Economic development===
[[File:Italian communications in Ethiopia, April 1941.jpg|thumb|250px|Map showing in red the new roads (like the "Imperial road", and those in construction in 1941) created by the Italians in Ethiopia and AOI<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rEBLu-P3-_2Jrg1GTPmrwoZoQcW-gA5g8cxqhf5B3fxuKA7GmUpIl1esaOL3NmUWYP2huGNHT-1jabIo64vzn7iBBYkPG19c0cC0q_y_KSNDwXnVH8L3stlJAhiN0daRa6Aia1-ApMG_WQSG4nIOi6M3qdLGJJ7UK_IRGuA48XXZZVktAKlEeqlAug/s1023/piano%20stradale%20AOI.jpg |title=More detailed map |access-date=26 August 2023 |archive-date=24 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824142059/https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rEBLu-P3-_2Jrg1GTPmrwoZoQcW-gA5g8cxqhf5B3fxuKA7GmUpIl1esaOL3NmUWYP2huGNHT-1jabIo64vzn7iBBYkPG19c0cC0q_y_KSNDwXnVH8L3stlJAhiN0daRa6Aia1-ApMG_WQSG4nIOi6M3qdLGJJ7UK_IRGuA48XXZZVktAKlEeqlAug/s1023/piano%20stradale%20AOI.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

[[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|Italy's Fascist regime]] encouraged Italian peasants to colonize Ethiopia by setting up farms and small manufacturing businesses.<ref name="cann"/>{{rp|5}} However, few Italians came to the Ethiopian colony, with most going to Eritrea and Somalia. While Italian Eritrea enjoyed some degree of development, supported by nearly 80,000 [[Italian Eritreans|Italian colonists]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dankalia.com/history/04503.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429102012/http://www.dankalia.com/history/04503.htm |url-status=dead |title=Italian industries and companies in Eritrea |archive-date=29 April 2009}}</ref> by 1940 only 3,200 farmers had arrived in Ethiopia, less than ten percent of the Fascist regime's goal.<ref name="cann">{{cite book |last1=Cannistraro |first1=Philip V |title=Historical Dictionary of Fascist Italy |date=1982 |publisher=Greenwood |isbn=9780313213175 |language=en |oclc=185703605 |url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio00tion}}</ref>{{rp|6}} Continued [[insurgency]] by native Ethiopians, lack of natural resources, rough terrain, and uncertainty of political and military conditions discouraged development and settlement in the countryside.<ref name="cann"/>{{rp|6}}

Italians constructed a road between Addis Ababa and [[Massaua]], Addis Ababa and [[Mogadishu]], and Addis Ababa to [[Assab]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://media.tecnici.it/file/novecento/autocamionale_assab_addis-abeba.pdf |title=1940 Article on the special road Addis Abeba-Assab and map (in Italian) |access-date=22 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402195204/http://media.tecnici.it/file/novecento/autocamionale_assab_addis-abeba.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 900&nbsp;km of railways were reconstructed or initiated (like the railway between Addis Ababa and [[Assab]]), dams and [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric plants]] were built. Public companies were established in Ethiopian governorates, such as the Ethiopian Electricity Company ({{langx|it|Imprese elettriche d'Etiopia}}). Italians built additional airports and in 1936 started the [[Imperial Line|''Linea dell'Impero'']], a flight connecting Addis Ababa to [[Rome]]. The line was opened after the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War|Italian conquest of Ethiopia]] and was followed by the first air links with the AOI governorates. The route was enlarged to 6,379&nbsp;km and initially joined [[Rome]] with [[Addis Ababa]] via [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]], [[Benghazi]], [[Cairo]], [[Wadi Halfa]], [[Khartoum]], [[Kassala]], [[Asmara]], [[Dire Dawa]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.treccani.it//enciclopedia/africa_res-2a855323-8b74-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_(Enciclopedia-Italiana) |title=AFRICA in "Enciclopedia Italiana" |website=www.treccani.it |access-date=3 July 2019 |archive-date=6 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606102458/http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/africa_res-2a855323-8b74-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway|Djibouti–Addis Ababa Railway]], the most significant railway in Italian East Africa, was acquired following the Italian conquest of Ethiopia in 1936. Until 1935, steam trains operated the 784 km route, taking about 36 hours to travel between Addis Ababa and Djibouti. In 1938, Italy introduced four high-capacity "Type 038" rail-cars, derived from the Fiat ALn56 model, increasing speeds to 70 km/h and reducing travel time to 18 hours. These diesel railcars remained in use until the mid-1960s. Major stations offered bus connections to other cities in Italian East Africa, and a fire brigade unit was established near Addis Ababa station—the only one of its kind in Africa at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.train-franco-ethiopien.com/photos_cfe/autorails_fiat_cfe/pages/image/imagepage15.html |title=LE CHEMIN DE FER FRANCO ETHIOPIEN ET DJIBOUTO ETHIOPIEN |website=www.train-franco-ethiopien.com |access-date=1 July 2018 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224195122/http://www.train-franco-ethiopien.com/photos_cfe/autorails_fiat_cfe/pages/image/imagepage15.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.train-franco-ethiopien.com/photos_cfe/autorails_fiat_cfe/pages/image/imagepage30.html |title=LE CHEMIN DE FER FRANCO ETHIOPIEN ET DJIBOUTO ETHIOPIEN |website=www.train-franco-ethiopien.com |access-date=1 July 2018 |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802002823/http://www.train-franco-ethiopien.com/photos_cfe/autorails_fiat_cfe/pages/image/imagepage30.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.train-franco-ethiopien.com/photos_cfe/gare_diredawa_cfe/pages/image/imagepage15.html |title=LE CHEMIN DE FER FRANCO ETHIOPIEN ET DJIBOUTO ETHIOPIEN |website=www.train-franco-ethiopien.com |access-date=1 July 2018 |archive-date=24 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724022558/http://www.train-franco-ethiopien.com/photos_cfe/gare_diredawa_cfe/pages/image/imagepage15.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.storiavvf.it/Articolo%20Addis%20Abeba.htm |title="Pompieri ad Addis Abeba" (in Italian) |access-date=20 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104191728/http://www.storiavvf.it/Articolo%20Addis%20Abeba.htm |archive-date=4 November 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Italians invested substantively in Ethiopian infrastructure development. However Ethiopia and Italian East Africa proved to be extremely expensive to maintain, as the budget for the [[fiscal year]] 1936-37 had been set at 19.136 billion [[lira]] to create the necessary infrastructure for the colony.<ref name="cann"/>{{rp|5}} At the time, Italy's entire yearly revenue was only 18.581 billion lira.<ref name="cann"/>{{rp|5}}

<gallery mode="packed"  heights="140" class="center">
File:AsmaraStazione.jpg|[[Asmara]] station on the [[Eritrean Railway]] in 1938, with passengers boarding a ''Littorina''
File:Ethiopian electric power corporation Addis Abeba.jpg|The Italian-era Ethiopian electric power corporation building, [[Addis Ababa]]
File:CH-NB - Italienisch-Ostafrika, Massana (Massawa, Massaua)- Hafen - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-23-129.jpg|Italian commercial buildings in [[Massawa|Massawa, Eritrea]]
</gallery>

===Education===
Prior to Fascism, education in [[Italian Somaliland]] and [[Italian Eritrea]] had primarily been the responsibility of both Roman Catholic and Protestant [[Missionary|missionaries]].{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=29}} With Mussolini's rise to power, government schools were created which eventually incorporated the Catholic missionaries' educational programmes while those of the Protestant missionaries became marginalised and circumscribed. [[Andrea Testa|Andrea Festa]], who was made director of the central office governing primary education in [[Eritrea]] in November 1932, declared in 1934 that Fascist efforts in education needed to ensure that [[Indigenous peoples of Africa|native Africans]] were "acquainted with a little of our civilisation" and that they needed to "know Italy, its glories, and ancient history, in order to, become a conscious militia man in the shade of our flag." Such education initiatives were designed to train Africans in a variety of practical tasks useful to the Fascist regime as well as to indoctrinate them with the tenets and lifestyle of Fascist ideology with the aim of creating citizens obedient and subservient to the state.{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=84}} 

The propagandistic nature of the education was especially apparent in history textbooks issued to African children, which entirely omitted any discussion of events such as Italian disunity, [[Giuseppe Mazzini|Giuseppe Mazzini's]] "Young Italy" movement, the [[revolutions of 1848]], or [[Giuseppe Garibaldi|Giuseppe Garibaldi's]] [[Expedition of the Thousand]] and instead stressed the "glories" of the [[Roman Empire]] and those of the Italian state that claimed to be its successor. Glorification and lionisation of Mussolini and his "great work" likewise pervaded them, while periods during which [[Libya]] and other then-Italian possessions had been controlled by older, non-Italian empires, such as the [[Ottoman Empire]], were portrayed through an unflattering lens.{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=29}} Use of the Fascist salute was mandatory in schools for African children, who were constantly encouraged to become "little soldiers of the [[Duce]]", and every day there was morning ceremony at which the Italian flag was hoisted and patriotic songs were sung. Italian children, whose education the Fascist government prioritised over that of Africans, received education similar to that in Fascist Italy's [[metropole]], though with some aspects of it tailored to the local situation in East Africa. Fascist education in the colony proved to be a failure in the end, with only one twentieth of Italian colonial soldiers possessing any literacy.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pankhurst |first1=Richard |year=1972 |title=Education in Ethiopia during the Italian Fascist Occupation (1936-1941) |journal=The International Journal of African Historical Studies |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=361–396 |doi=10.2307/217091 |jstor=217091}}</ref>

In Italian East Africa, Fascist Italy sought to neutralize any educational institutions which provided instruction to Africans beyond the level expected by Fascist ideology.{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=84}} In particular the secondary education network in the [[Ethiopian Empire]] had prepared and enabled a relatively small but significant amount of Ethiopians to study abroad at universities in Europe. As a result of this policy and state-sponsored mass murder, post-World War II Ethiopia found itself impoverished of skilled workers due to the very limited and propagandistic education provided to its non-Italian inhabitants under Mussolini's rule.{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=239}} During [[East African campaign (World War II)|World War II]], few African natives displayed any loyalty to the Fascist state that the state's schools had so fervently tried to instill.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pankhurst |first1=Richard |year=1972 |title=Education in Ethiopia during the Italian Fascist Occupation (1936-1941) |journal=The International Journal of African Historical Studies |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=361–396 |doi=10.2307/217091 |jstor=217091}}</ref>

===Banknotes and postage stamps===
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- style="text-align:center; border-bottom:2px solid gray;" bgcolor="lightsteelblue"
! Frontal Image
! Back Image
! Amount
! Color
! Frontal Description
! Back Description
|-
| align="left" |[[File:ItalianEastAfricaP1b-50Lire-1939 f-donated.jpg|100px]]
| align="left" |[[File:ItalianEastAfricaP1b-50Lire-1939 b-donated.jpg|100px]]
| align="left" |'''50 Lire'''
| align="left" |Green
| align="left" |<small>LIRE CINQVANTA – BANCA D'ITALIA</small>
| align="left" |<small>50 LIRE – Lupa romana</small>
|-
| align="left" |[[File:ItalianEastAfricaP2b-100Lire-1938-donatedms f.jpg|100px]]
| align="left" |[[File:ItalianEastAfricaP2b-100Lire-1938-donatedms b.jpg|100px]]
| align="left" |'''100 Lire'''
| align="left" |Green/gray
| align="left" |<small>LIRE CENTO – BANCA D'ITALIA – Dea Roma</small>
| align="left" |<small>LIRE CENTO – BANCA D'ITALIA – Aquila</small>
|-
|}
On 5 May 1936 the capital Addis Ababa was captured by the Italians: on 22 May three new stamps showing the King of Italy were issued. Four further values inscribed "ETIOPIA" were issued on 5 December 1936. After that date, the stamps were issued with the name "Africa Orientale Italiana" on it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.italianstamps.co.uk/colonies/ethiopia/index.html|title=Italian Stamps - Ethiopia|website=www.italianstamps.co.uk}}</ref>{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=September 2017}}

===Demographics===
In 1939, there were 165,267 Italian citizens in Italian East Africa, mostly concentrated in [[Asmara]], Addis Ababa, and [[Mogadishu]]. The total population was estimated at 12.1 million, with an uneven distribution across the region. Eritrea had around 1.5 million people in 90,000 square miles (16.7 people per square mile), Ethiopia had 9.5 million people in 305,000 square miles (31 people per square mile), and Italian Somaliland had 1.1 million people in 271,000 square miles (4 people per square mile). Most Italians in Ethiopia were troops because Ethiopian resistance in the countryside made permanent settlement difficult. Frequent attacks disrupted efforts to establish enough farms and secure food supplies, preventing the troops from transitioning into farming colonists.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Royal Institute of International Affairs |title=Italian Possessions in Africa: II. Italian East Africa |journal=Bulletin of International News |date=24 August 1940 |volume=17 |issue=17 |pages=1065–1074}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- "
! English!! Capital !! Total population<ref name="Istat 2010"/>!! Italians<ref name="Istat 2010"/> !! Tag!! Coat of Arms
|-
| [[Amhara Governorate]] || [[Gondar]] || 2,000,000 || 11,103 || AM || [[File:Arms of the Amhara governorate.svg|center|40px]]
|-
| [[Eritrea Governorate]] || [[Asmara]] || 1,500,000 || 72,408 || ER || [[File:Arms of the Eritrea governorate.svg|center|40px]]
|-
| [[Galla-Sidamo Governorate]] || [[Jimma]] || 4,000,000 || 11,823|| GS || [[File:Arms of the Galla-Sidamo governorate.svg|center|40px]]
|-
| [[Harar Governorate]] || [[Harar]] || 1,600,000 || 10,035 || HA || [[File:Arms of the Harar governorate.svg|center|40px]]
|-
| [[Scioa Governorate]] || [[Addis Ababa]] || 1,850,000 || 40,698 || SC || [[File:Arms of the Scioa governorate.svg|center|40px]]
|-
| [[Somalia Governorate]] || [[Mogadishu]] || 1,150,000 || 19,200 || SOM || [[File:Arms of the Italian Somaliland governorate.svg|center|40px]]
|}

==Atrocities==

===War Crimes===
{{main|Second Italo-Ethiopian War#War crimes|Italian war crimes}}
[[File:24. Adolf Hoffmeister, Řím nese černou kulturu Habešanům, 1936.jpg|thumb|''Rome brings black culture to the Abbysians'', caricature by [[Adolf Hoffmeister]], 1936.]]

During the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]], Italian forces used between 300 and 500 tons of [[mustard gas]] (yperite) against both military and civilian targets, despite being a signatory to the 1925 [[Geneva Protocol]] banning chemical warfare.{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=41}} This gas, produced during World War I, was a decisive factor in the conflict, with historian Walter Laqueur estimating that up to one-third of Ethiopian casualties resulted from chemical weapons.{{sfn|Laqueur|2001|p=57}} Although Italy justified its use of gas by citing the execution of pilot Tito Minniti, Mussolini had authorized gas attacks two months before Minniti’s death and later expanded their use on a massive scale. Mustard gas was delivered via bombs and gas shells, sprayed from aircraft onto Ethiopian soldiers, villages, and even Red Cross medical units.{{sfn|Belladonna|2015}}{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=57-85}} The attacks, which the Italians attempted to keep secret, were exposed by the [[International Committee of the Red Cross|International Red Cross]] and foreign observers.{{sfn|Ben-Ghiat|Fuller|2016|p=4-56}}{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=38}} Selassie, in his plea to the League of Nations, condemned the use of chemical weapons, detailing their widespread and horrific effects on people, animals, and the environment. [[Army of the Ethiopian Empire|Ethiopian forces]] employed [[Expanding bullet|Dum-Dum bullets]], banned under the [[Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907|Hague Convention]], and reportedly mutilated captured [[Royal Corps of Eritrean Colonial Troops|Eritrean Askari]] and Italian soldiers. On 13 February 1936, a camp of civilian workers for the logistics company [[Gondrand]], engaged at the time in road construction, was [[Gondrand massacre|attacked and massacred]] at dawn by Ethiopian soldiers under the orders of [[Imru Haile Selassie|Ras Imru]]. The massacre was publicized by Fascist Italy in an attempt to justify its ongoing invasion and the escalating the brutality of the reprisals.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last1=Andreani|first1=Marco|title=Photography as Power: Dominance and Resistance through the Italian Lens|last2=Pazzaglia|first2=Nicoletta|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|year=2019|isbn=978-1527524880|pages=83–86}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Baudendistel|first=Rainer|title=Between Bombs and Good Intentions: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Italo-Ethiopian War, 1935-1936|publisher=Berghahn Books|year=2006|isbn=1782388729|location=Oxford and New York|pages=242–246}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Forgacs|first=David|title=Italy's Margins: Social Exclusion and Nation Formation since 1861|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2014|isbn=978-1139868143|pages=123–127}}</ref>

===Yekatit 12===
{{main|Yekatit 12}}
On 19 February 1937, to celebrate the birth of the [[Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples|Prince of Naples]], [[Rodolfo Graziani]] announced he would personally distribute alms to the poor at the [[Guenete Leul Palace|Genete Leul Palace]] (also known as the Little Gebbi). Two young [[Eritreans]] living in Ethiopia named Abraha Deboch and Mogus Asgedom made an attempt on Graziani's life by throwing grenades.<ref name="Mockler2003">{{cite book |last1=Mockler |first1=Anthony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aOZKULYp5FAC |title=Haile Selassie's War |publisher=[[Signal Books]] |year=2003 |isbn=9781902669533 |edition=3rd |publication-place=Oxford |pages=163–173 |language=English |chapter=Chapter 14: Yekatit 12 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aOZKULYp5FAC&pg=PA174 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Following the attempt, Italian soldiers raided the [[Debre Libanos]] monastery, where the assassins were believed to have taken refuge, and executed hundreds of the monks and nuns.<ref name="cann"/>{{rp|5}} Italian forces, mostly [[Blackshirt]]s, then continued to carry out brutal reprisals in [[Addis Ababa]]. Over the next three days, thousands of Ethiopian civilians were massacred, according to Ethiopian estimates, ranging from 19,000 to 30,000 deaths. Italian troops, [[Blackshirt]] militias, and Fascist supporters set fire to homes, businesses, and churches, killing indiscriminately.<ref name="cann"/>{{rp|5}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sarti |first1=Roland |title=The Ax Within: Italian Fascism in Action |year=1974 |publisher=New Viewpoints |isbn=978-0-53-106367-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/axwithinitalianf0000sart/page/191 191] |language=en |oclc=600764772 |url=https://archive.org/details/axwithinitalianf0000sart/page/191}}</ref> The massacre has come to be known as [[Yekatit 12]] (the date in the Ethiopian language).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Campbell |first1=Ian |title="Yekatit" 12 Revisited: New Light on the Strike Against Graziani |journal=Journal of Ethiopian Studies |year=2007 |volume=40 |issue=1/2 |pages=135–154 |issn=0304-2243 |jstor=41988224}}</ref> After the massacres, Graziani became known as "the Butcher of Ethiopia" and was subsequently removed by [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mockler |first1=Anthony |title=Haile Selassie's War: The Italian-Ethiopian Campaign, 1939–1941 |year=1985 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-39-454222-5 |language=en |oclc=516514436}}</ref> Mussolini viewed the action as a major setback for Fascist propaganda and was concerned that the growing resentment among the natives would increase the number of individuals joining the resistance.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Knox |first1=MacGregor |title=Mussolini Unleashed, 1939–1941: Politics and Strategy in Fascist Italy's Last War |year=2005 |publisher=ACLS History E-Book Project |page=150 |language=en |oclc=278096179}}</ref> As a result, Graziani was replaced by [[Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta]], whose pacification by apartheid approach minimized the risk of a united front against the Italians as an aftermath of the massacre.{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=338-339}} 

<gallery mode="packed"  heights="160" class="center">
File:Graziani ferito.jpg|[[Rodolfo Graziani]] after surviving an attempt on his life
File:Ethiopian Victims of the Fascists.jpg |A victim tied to a tree
File:Vittime della strage di Addis Abeba compiuta tra il 19 e il 21 febbraio 1937.jpg|Dead bodies being loaded off of a transport 
</gallery>

===Concentration camps===
{{main|List of Italian concentration camps|Nocra prison camp|Danane concentration camp}}
[[Nocra prison camp]] was a notorious Italian detention facility located on [[Nakura|Nocra Island]] in the [[Dahlak Archipelago|Dahlak Archipelago, Eritrea]]. Originally established by the Italians in the late 19th century, it was used throughout the colonial period as a remote and harsh prison for [[Political prisoner|political dissidents]], [[Arbegnoch|Ethiopian resistance fighters]], and other individuals deemed threats to Italian rule. The prison was infamous for its inhumane conditions, including [[Box (torture)|extreme heat]], [[Forced labour|forced labor]], and [[Starvation (crime)|inadequate food]].{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=201,233}} Prisoners were subjected to harsh punishments, with many dying due to disease or [[Malnutrition|malnutrition]].{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=131-133}} During the Italian occupation of Ethiopia (1936-1941), Nocra housed much of the [[intelligentsia]] of Ethiopia with some being executed and the remainder exiled to penal colonies. As a result, post-World War II Ethiopia found itself impoverished of skilled workers.{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=234}}

The [[Danane concentration camp|Danane concentration camp]] was another Italian [[concentration camp]] established near [[Mogadishu]] in Italian East Africa.{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=233}} Danane concentration camp Prisoners were transported from [[Addis Ababa]] to Danane in covered trucks by night to avoid them being seen. By the time they arrived at Danane, a journey of more than four weeks, several had died of disease and hardships along the way.{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=233}} Conflicting reports make it hard to accurately assess the extent of death among the prisoners. [[Rodolfo Graziani|Graziani]] ordered that they be given only enough food to survive, and the conditions in which they were held were dire.{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=132}} The facilities were poor, with insufficient latrines, and they faced a [[Humidity|humid climate]] that contributed to outbreaks of [[Malaria|malaria]], stomach infections, and [[Sexually transmitted infection|venereal diseases]].{{sfn|Sbacchi|1997|p=132-133}}{{sfn|Campbell|2017|p=232}} 

==See also==
* [[List of governors-general of Italian East Africa]]
* [[List of governors of the governorates of Italian East Africa]]
* [[Dubats]]
* [[Political history of Eastern Africa]]
* [[Italians of Ethiopia]]
* [[Italian guerrilla war in Ethiopia]]
* [[Italian African Police]]
* [[Italian East African lira]]
* [[Augusto Turati]]
* [[Languages of Africa]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==

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==External links==
* [http://niehorster.org/019_italy/40-06-10_army/army_aoi.html Italian East African Armed Forces, 10 June 1940]
* [http://niehorster.org/019_italy/40_organ/brig_aoi_40.html 1940 Colonial Brigade, 10 June 1940]
* [http://blog.libero.it/wrnzla/ Ascari: I Leoni di Eritrea/Ascari: The Eritrean Lions]
* [http://namesorts.com/2013/01/07/monitoring-western-investments-in-africa-12-a-mapping-of-italian-vs-portuguese-director-names/ Geographic map of Italian business community in Africa (December 2012) ]

{{Italian colonial empire|state=collapsed}}
{{Eritrea italiana (Colonia Primigenia)}}
{{Somalia italiana (Colonia)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|9|2|48|N|38|45|28|E|display=title}}

[[Category:Italian East Africa| ]]
[[Category:Former colonies in Africa]]
[[Category:Former Italian colonies|East Africa]]
[[Category:Italian colonisation in Africa|.East Africa]]
[[Category:History of the Horn of Africa]]
[[Category:Italian Eritrea]]
[[Category:1930s in Eritrea|.]]
[[Category:1930s in Ethiopia|.]]
[[Category:1930s in Somalia|.]]
[[Category:1940s in Eritrea|.]]
[[Category:1940s in Ethiopia|.]]
[[Category:1940s in Somalia|.]]
[[Category:Former Italian-speaking countries]]
[[Category:Former countries of the interwar period]]
[[Category:Italian military occupations]]
[[Category:World War II occupied territories]]
[[Category:Ethiopia–Italy relations]]
[[Category:Eritrea–Italy relations]]
[[Category:Italy–Somalia relations]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1936]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1941]]
[[Category:1936 establishments in Africa]]
[[Category:1941 disestablishments in Africa]]
[[Category:1936 establishments in the Italian Empire]]
[[Category:1941 disestablishments in the Italian Empire]]
[[Category:20th century in Eritrea]]
[[Category:20th century in Ethiopia]]
[[Category:20th century in Somalia]]
[[Category:20th century in Africa]]
[[Category:Real unions]]
[[Category:Victor Emmanuel III]]