Cracking Afars’ Spine

The position held by the Afar and Somali during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia evidently demonstrated the rationale for tilting the balance of power between the two pastoral groups. As discussed above Italians recruited Somali fighters, trained and equipped them with modern weapons while Afars lost what they had. Markakis (2002:447) described the scenario “the Issa fought for the Italians and received arms and training in return as well as a lucrative market for their animals. They used the arms against the Afar to gain access into the Allideghi plain for their enlarged herds. In turn, the Afar joined Ethiopia, the losing side and supposed retaliation by the Italians.” Since their arrival, Italian colonial forces tried to approach some Afar elders in order to assure their cooperation with the colonial power in the march to penetrate Ethiopian hinterland.

However, their ambition to incorporate Afar in their colonial expansion project has vanished briskly as the Afars rejected the offer. Italians could not get it easy to sell their

‘pro-Islam’ policy to the Afars who are entirely followers of Islam. As affirmed by Herrie (2008:34-35) Italians solicited Afar clan leaders “to recruit all Afar youth to serve the invader force as soldiers [as well as] ordered all Afar clans to contribute male camels for the purpose of transport.” The Afar clan leaders refused to fulfill these requests.

According to Interviewees, there were number of fighting conducted between Italian

colonial power and Afars in various directions. Battles spread from the north of Hurso River that traverse Dire Dawa town up to Awash border of Geblelu then to its west up to Awash River in Adaytu. A distinguished activist for the cause of fascism and anti-colonialism, Sylvia Pankhurst, has enthusiastically supported the anti-Italian colonial rule in Ethiopia by publishing The New Times and Ethiopia News since 1936. She (1959:329) asserted the Afars stand during the invasion of colonial forces in such a way that

“Dankali tribesmen are going very far away into the densest forests. The Italian treatment has roused them. They have sworn to shelter and help all Ethiopians. Thousands of the brave Ethiopians who have been troubling Asbe Tafarri and other towns have taken shelter with theses Dankalis.” For instance, the Dawe Afar leader Mohammed Bodaya was taken as prisoner to Rome for his support for the Siemen Šäwa patriots led by Ras Abebe Aregay.³⁹ Apart from hosting the people of Ras Abebe Aregay, Mohammed Bodaya had facilitated for the patriots trafficking firearms via the Afar Red Sea coasts.

In fact Afars had paid a heavy price for the position they held during the Italian colonial march of mid 1930s. They were forced to provide pastoral products to colonial masters; their pastoral movements were also restricted and further Italians forced Afar tribes to disarm. Consequently as stressed by Herrie (2008:34-35) “the Italians cruelly massacred and bombarded the Afar villages and livestock in the areas called Foqo-Afe, Bodeli, Dahawu, Ado-ela, Eqeroli, Hamoysa, Manda-ela’.” As written by Pankhurst S.

(1959:332) “the Italians sent some soldiers to the Ba Abdo [Ba’adu] in the Dankali country. They asked the Asali Miro tribes for their produce but the tribesmen refused and later some of the Italians were killed.” She (ibid: 347) continued and pointed out that “on September 7, the Italians sent 31,000 soldiers to the Danakil people to ‘civilize’ them, and incidentally collect from them all such ‘dangerous’ weapons as rifles, spears and so forth, which are needed for the chase, and also for protection from wild animals in many parts of the country. This military expedition had also the object of imposing upon the people a heavy tax, and moreover to kidnap the children and force them to acquire the

39 Bodaya Mohammed (1885-1955) got on authority over the Afar of Dawe at the age of fifteen in 1900. He stayed in power for fifty-five years and died at the age of seventy. During the Italian occupation of Ethiopia (1935-1941) Italians accused him for supporting the Ethiopian patriots and while he was asked by Mussolini about the case, Bodaya Mohammed told that ‘if any guest travel through my territory need help, no one will never be denied assistance from him.’ Since then Italians [reportedly the first to say was Mussolini] named him the ‘white truth’ in Afar data numma.

Italian language and the Roman Catholic faith. On January 1 another expedition was dispatched, this time of 50,000 men, supported by aeroplanes.” The leader of Ba’adu, Hamedu Mumin and chief of the Debnes, Wererai had shot down two Italian fighter planes over Ayellu and Assebot Mountains respectively. Italians have retaliated by executing 82 Afar prominent elders at a place between Hurrso and Erer River in accordance with the list provided by Ugaas Hassen Hersi of Issa and Ugaas Buh of Gurgura Somalis. The list given by the Somali Ugaases deliberately included prominent Afar clan chiefs and renowned war strategists.⁴⁰ The Somalis name this place as kebri-odiyash, the elderly burial ground in Somali language. Issa who developed strong confidence on their Italian backers, advanced deep into the Afarland and invaded Afar villages like Asbuli and Ayroli and headed to Mero with little resistance from the Afars who have been weakened by the Italians.

Afar clan chieftains including Qegnazmach Tahiro Hamedu, Qegnazmach Ali Kheire, and Grazmach Hassen Abdellah have submitted an appeal on 17/12/1969 to Prime Minister Tsehafi-Tezaz Aklilu Habte-Wold, Bitwoded Zewde Gebre Heywot, Minister of Interior and Deg.Wekeneh Welde Amanuel General Governor of Harar. The appeal had elucidated how Italians weaken the Afar whilst strengthen Issa/Somali’s militarily and economic power. The letter states ‘When Italy invaded our country, we Adals [Afars]

were living south of the Erer River, specifically in Hukfeli and Hurso in the north Merihan, Fa’o and up to Geblel […] however, as we (the Afar people) resisted the Italian colonial administration and even killed their leader at war, they retaliated by conducting a massive attack even by conducting indiscriminate air bombardments. As a result we lost over 300 prominent war leaders and clan chiefs. […] Italians took all our weapons and equipped Issas [who supported Italian rule] who gradually pushed us away from our ancestral lands.

40 As written by Herrie (2008:34-35), “[A]cting on information given by the Issa Somali to the Italians, they killed many Adohimara and Asahimara clan leaders in a bid to subdue the Afars. For instance, in Gewane, the Italian soldiers, in the name of reconciliation forcefully gathered Afar men, women and children and then they killed the following prominent Afar clan leaders from Mahesara and Galela clans in the compound of the current Gewane High school. These clan leaders’ tombs are still in the same school compound: Hafa, Balie and Unda Momin Humed who were Mahesara clan leaders and Ingifu, Galela clan leader. At this spot, the Italians scared the gathered people to laugh and dance at the death of the clan leaders.”