After Ethiopia’s victory over Italy in the First Italo-Ethiopian War, Italy signed the Treaty of Addis Ababa. The treaty ended the conflict and recognized Ethiopia as an independent state, shaping later tensions when Fascist Italy sought a renewed empire in East Africa.
A firefight broke out at Walwal (Ual-Ual) in a disputed border area between Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland. Italy later used this incident as a major justification for war, while Ethiopia sought international arbitration.
Italy invaded Ethiopia on 3 October 1935, attacking from Italian Eritrea in the north and from Italian Somaliland in the south. The invasion began without a formal declaration of war and quickly turned into a major international crisis at the League of Nations.
Italian forces captured Adwa early in the invasion, a location tied to Italy’s earlier defeat in 1896. The capture was used for propaganda and signaled that Italy’s campaign would pursue a decisive reversal of past humiliation.
The League of Nations condemned Italy’s aggression and approved economic sanctions. The sanctions excluded key resources such as oil, and major powers did not enforce them strongly, limiting their impact and damaging the League’s credibility.
In northern Ethiopia, major Ethiopian forces under regional leaders (ras) fought Italian troops in the First Battle of Tembien. The battle ended without a clear decision, but it showed the scale of Ethiopian resistance and the difficulty of stopping Italy’s better-equipped army.
Italian forces defeated Ethiopian troops in the Shire area, further weakening organized resistance on the northern front. This helped open routes for Italy’s push deeper into the Ethiopian highlands.
Emperor Haile Selassie led a major counterattack near Maychew, but Italian defenses held and inflicted heavy losses. The defeat was a turning point, leaving the road to the capital increasingly vulnerable.
With Italian forces closing in, Haile Selassie left Ethiopia for exile. His departure removed the country’s central wartime leadership from the capital, even as Ethiopian patriots continued resistance in many regions.
Italian forces entered and occupied Addis Ababa, bringing the conventional phase of the war largely to an end. Italy now controlled the capital, but it did not eliminate Ethiopian resistance movements that operated outside major cities and roads.
Mussolini announced Ethiopia’s annexation and folded it together with Eritrea and Italian Somaliland into a new colony, Italian East Africa. This formalized occupation as an imperial project, with a viceroy governing on Italy’s behalf.
In Geneva, Haile Selassie addressed the League of Nations and condemned Italy’s invasion and occupation. He also denounced the use of chemical weapons, trying to rally international support for Ethiopia’s sovereignty.
After an assassination attempt wounded Viceroy Rodolfo Graziani in Addis Ababa, Italian authorities carried out mass reprisals. The violence, remembered as Yekatit 12, killed large numbers of civilians and deepened hatred of the occupation, strengthening the patriotic resistance.
During World War II’s East African campaign, Allied forces defeated Italian troops at Keren in Eritrea. The victory weakened Italy’s ability to defend its East African empire and helped set the stage for advances into Ethiopia.
With British and Ethiopian forces driving out Italian rule, Haile Selassie re-entered Addis Ababa exactly five years after its fall. His return became a symbol of restored sovereignty and is still commemorated in Ethiopia as Patriots’ Victory Day.
Gondar, the last major Italian stronghold in the region, fell to Allied and Ethiopian forces after fighting in November 1941. Its surrender marked the collapse of Italian East Africa as a functioning colony and ended the main organized Italian military resistance there.
Britain and Ethiopia signed an agreement in Addis Ababa to restore normal diplomatic relations and support rebuilding Ethiopia’s administration. While confirming Ethiopia’s sovereign status, it also reflected continued British influence in some areas during the transition after occupation.
In the postwar Treaty of Paris, Italy formally renounced its colonial possessions and recognized Ethiopia as independent. This closed the legal chapter opened by the 1935 invasion and reinforced Ethiopia’s restored position in international diplomacy.
Second Italo-Ethiopian War and Italian occupation (1935-1941)