Battle of Adwa

Battle of Adwa Latest News

The Indian Prime Minister recently laid a wreath at the Adwa Victory Monument in Addis Ababa, paying tribute to Ethiopia’s historic victory in the 1896 Battle of Adwa.

About Battle of Adwa

• It was fought by the Ethiopian Empire, which was then known as Abyssinia, and Italy on March 1, 1896, near Adwa, Ethiopia, as the concluding battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War (1895–1896).
• The conflict stemmed from Italy’s ambitions to establish an empire in Africa, which was part of the broader “scramble for Africa” among European powers.
• This battle saw the Ethiopian Empire, led by Emperor Menelik II, successfully defeat an invading Italian force. 
• The Ethiopian army, numbering around 100,000, faced off against approximately 17,000 Italian troops, resulting in a decisive victory for the Ethiopians and securing their sovereignty. 
• The victory had further significance for being the first crushing defeat of a European power by African forces during the colonial era.
• Ethiopian victory secured independence until Italian dictator Benito Mussolini again attempted to conquer the nation when he invaded it in 1935, initiating what would be known as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
  • Ethiopia initially resisted the Italians alone except with the help of anti-fascist volunteers from the United States and other nations. 
  • By 1940, however, when Italy declared war on Great Britain, its forces joined the Ethiopians in forcing them out of Ethiopia in 1941.

Source: DDN

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