Italian Somaliland (also
known as Italian Somalia) was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy
(Regno d'Italia) from the 1880s until 1941 in the
territory of the modern-day Northeast
African nation of Somalia
.
History
The late
19th century had a huge impact
on developments occurring in the
Horn of
Africa.
The European powers (Italy
, Great Britain
and France
) first
gained a foothold in Somalia through the signing of various pacts
and agreements with the Somali
Sultans that then controlled the region, such
as Yusuf Ali Kenadid, Boqor Osman Mahamuud and Mohamoud Ali Shire.
In late 1888, Sultan Kenadid entered into a treaty with the
Italians, making his
Sultanate of
Hobyo an Italian
protectorate. His
rival Boqor Osman would sign a similar agreement vis-a-vis his own
Majeerteen
Sultanate the following year.
Both rulers had signed the protectorate
treaties to advance their own expansionist objectives, with Kenadid
looking to use Italy's support in his dispute with the Sultan of Zanzibar over an area bordering
Warsheekh
, in addition to his ongoing power struggle over the
Majeerteen Sultanate with Boqor Osman. Both Sultan Kenadid
and his rival Boqor Osman also hoped to exploit the conflicting
interests among the European
Imperial powers
that were then looking to control the
Somali peninsula, so as to avoid direct
occupation of their territories by force.
The
Italians, for their part, were interested in this largely arid
country mainly due to its ports, the latter of
which could grant them access to the strategically important
Suez
Canal
and the Gulf of Aden
.Fitzgerald, Nina J. Somalia (New York:
Nova Science, 2002), p 33 The last piece of land acquired by Italy
in Somalia in order to form Italian Somaliland was the Kismayo
region
(Jubaland), which was earlier controlled by Britain before World War I.
At the end of the 19th century, a growing social-political movement
developed within Italy to start expanding its influence, since many
other European countries had already been doing so, which was
effectively leaving Italy behind. There was also a huge shortage in
capital and serious economic problems in Italy. It is also argued
by some historians that Italy had a minor interest in the mutton
and livestock that were then plentiful in Somalia, though whatever
designs Italy may have had on the resource-challenged Somali
landscape were undoubtedly subordinate to its interest in the
region's ports and the waters and lands they gave access to.
Cesare Correnti organized an expedition under the "Societa
Geografica Italiana" in 1876. The next year "L’Esploratore" was
established by Manfredo Camperio - a journal of travel. In 1879
"Societa di Esplorazioni Commerciali in Africa" was created, with
the Italian Industrial Establishment involved as well. "Club
Africano" was established in Somalia (three years later became
"Societa Africana D’Italia") in 1879.
Italy gained control of various parts of present-day Somalia in the
1880s, and over the following decades, Italian settlement was
encouraged.
However, in January 1887 Italian troops from
Somalia fought a battle against Ras Alula Engida’s militia in
Dogali, Eritrea
, where they
lost 500 troops. The Prime Minister,
Agostino Depretis, resigned because of
this defeat in July 1887. Prime Minister
Francesco Crispi replaced him, and had new
plans to create new areas for immigration for Italians. On May 2,
1889
Menelik II, the
Emperor of Ethiopia and Italy signed a
peace treaty.
Around
1895 Italy launched the First
Italo-Abyssinian War against Ethiopia from its territories in
Eritrea and Somalia. In 1905, Italy finally accepted
the responsibility of creating a colony in Southern Somalia, after
several tries that had failed.
The administrative regulators were Governor
Mercantelli with the six subdivisions of Brava, Merca
, Lugh,
Itala, Bardera
, and
Jumbo.
In April 5, 1908 there was a basic law enacted by the Italian
Parliament to unite all of the parts of southern Somalia into an
area called "Somalia Italiana". The colonial power was then divided
between the Parliament, Metropolitan government, and the colonial
government. The power of the colonial government was the only power
that was changed. The Civil governor controlled export rights,
regulated the rate of exchange, raised or lowered native taxes, and
administered all civil services and matters relating to hunting,
fishing, and conservation.Hess, Robert L.
Italian
Colonialism, p 102 The Governor was in control of the Police
force, while nominating local residents and military
arrangements.
In 1920 the
Societa Agricola Italo-Somala (SAIS) was
founded by the Prince
Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the
Abruzzi, in order to explore the agricultural potentials of
Africa.On December 5, 1923
Fascism came to
Somalia through the Governor Cesare Maria De Vecchi di Val Cismon.
He brought with him forceful ways of colonial rule and ideas. After
the collapse of Muhammad Abdullah Hassan’s movement, rebellion and
revolt occurred with disputes between different tribes in Northern
Somalia. The current government worked together again with the old
tribesmen in order to try and keep peace between the several
tribes, while maintaining very well control over the
military.
After
World War I the colony in Somalia was
extended when Jubaland
was acquired from the British colony of Kenya
.In
1923, the fascist governor
Cesare
Maria De Vecchi started to assume control of the northern
Somali lands after the progressive defeats of the then-ruling
Somali
Sultanates of
Obbia and
Migiurtinia.
In 1926, after a bloody repression, southern Somalia was fully
pacified and started to enjoy a period of economic development. The
Somali colonial troops called
Dubats (and the
gendarmerie
Zaptié)were extensively used
by De Vecchi in this military campaign.
In green, the Railway
Mogadiscio-Villabruzzi, which lasted from 1914 to 1941.
In the early 1930s, the new Italian governors, Guido Corni and
Maurizio Rava, started a policy toward a friendly assimilation of
the Somalis and their clans. Many Somalis were enrolled in the
Italian colonial troops. Some thousands Italian colonists moved to
live in Mogadishu, that become a commercial centre with some small
manifacturing companies, and in some agricultural areas around the
capital (like the "Villaggio duca degli Abruzzi" and
"Genale").
Italian
explorer and nobleman Luigi Amedeo Savoia-Aosta founded in 1920 the
Villaggio
Duca degli Abruzzi
as an agricultural settlement in Italian Somaliland
experimenting with new cultivation techniques.
In 1926, the colony comprised 16 villages, with some 3,000 Somali
and 200 Italian inhabitants, and was connected by a 114 km.
new
railway to
Mogadiscio.
In 1940, the Villaggio Duca degli Abruzzi (or "Villabruzzi")
already had a population of 12,000 people, of whom nearly 3,000
were
Italian Somalians, and
enjoyed a notable level of development with small manufacturing
area with agricultural industries (sugar mills, etc..).
Italian East Africa
In October 1935, the southern front of the
Second Italo-Abyssinian War was
launched into Ethiopia from Italian Somaliland. Italian
General Rodolfo
Graziani commanded the invasion forces in the south.
In June 1936, after the war ended, Italian Somaliland became part
of
Italian East Africa.
The new
colony of the Italian Empire also
included Ethiopia
and Eritrea and was
called Africa Orientale Italiana.
From 1936
to 1940, new roads (like the one called "Imperial Road", from
Mogasdishu to Addis
Abeba
) were constructed in the region, as well as new
railways (114 km from Mogadishu to Jowhar) and many
schools, hospitals, ports, bridges, etc.
In the first half of 1940, there were 22,000 Italians living in
Somalia and the colony was one of the most developed in Africa in
terms of the standard of living of the colonists and of the
Somalis, mainly in the urban areas. More than 10,000 Italians were
living in Mogadiscio, an administrative capital of the
Africa
Orientale Italiana, and new buildings were erected in the
Italian architectural tradition.
In the second half of 1940, Italian troops invaded
British Somaliland and ejected the
British.
The Italians also occupied Kenyan areas
bordering the Jubaland around the villages of Moyale
and Buna.
In the
spring of 1941, Britain regained control of British Somaliland, and conquered Italian
Somaliland with the Ogaden
, but until
the summer 1943 there was an Italian guerrilla war in
all the areas of the former Italian East Africa.
Italian Somaliland then fell under British administration until
1949, when it became a
United Nations Trust
Territory under Italian administration. This administration
lasted ten years, from 1950 to 1960.
In 1960,
Italian Somaliland united with British Somaliland to form the
Republic of
Somalia
.
Italian governors
- 1908-1910 Tommaso Carletti
- 1910-1916 Giacomo De Martino
- 1916-1919 Giovanni Cherina Ferroni
- 1923-1928 Cesare Maria De Vecchi
- 1935-1936 Rodolfo Graziani
- 1936-1937 Angelo De Ruben - Ruggiero Santini
- 1937-1939 Francesco Saveno
- 1939-1940 Gustavo Pesenti
- 1940-1941 Carlo De Simone
Gallery
File:Mogadishu1936.jpg|Mogadiscio in 1936, with the
Catholic Cathedral and the Triumphal Arch dedicated to the King of
ItalyFile:Mogadiscio39bancaitalia.png|The "Banca d'Italia" Building
in downtown Mogadiscio in
1939File:Palazzodevincenzimogadiscio.png|The Building De Vincenzi
near the Mogadiscio Catholic Cathedral in
1940File:Fiatmogadiscio1940.png|The Building Boero of the Fiat in
Mogadiscio (1940)File:Old Parliament Building in Mogadishu.jpg|The
Parliament Building in Mogadiscio, originally built in typical
fascist style during the
thirtiesFile:JubalandPostageStamps.jpg|Stamps of 1926 celebrating
the union of Jubaland to Italian
SomalilandFile:Albergo1938villaggioducaabruzzi.png|Hotel in the
agricultural rural area of "Villaggio Duca degli Abruzzi", built by
the Duke Luigi Amedeo of SavoiaFile:CinemaitaliaMogadiscio.png|The
first cinema opened in Mogadiscio
Notes
- Mariam Arif Gassem, Somalia: clan vs. nation, (s.n.:
2002), p.4
- The Majeerteen Sultanates
- Tripodi, Paolo. The Colonial Legacy in Somalia. New
York: St. Martin's P Inc,, 1999. p 16
- Tripodi, Paolo. The Colonial Legacy in Somalia, p
12-13
- Hess, Robert L. Italian Colonialism in Somalia
Chicago: University of Chicago P, 1966. p 101
- Hess, Robert L. Italian Colonialism, p 146
- Bevilacqua, Piero. Storia dell'emigrazione italiana.
p. 233
- Article with photos on a 2005 visit to 'Villaggio
Duca degli abruzzi' and areas of former Italian Somaliland (in
italian)
-
http://books.google.it/books?id=_PwCu_D-HiUC&pg=PT1&lpg=PT1&dq=Mussolini+unleashed+1939-1941&source=web&ots=bmUFdHvwt3&sig=jC3JifKMffvOg6Ss83em2gWtQm4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA154,M1
- http://www.lasecondaguerramondiale.it/africa_orie_2.html The
first map shows the Italian occupied areas around Moyale/Buna
References
- Antonicelli, Franco. Trent'anni di storia italiana 1915 -
1945. Mondadori Editore. Torino, 1961.
- Hess, Robert L. Italian Colonialism in Somalia.
University of Chicago P. Chicago, 1966.
- Tripodi, Paolo. The Colonial Legacy in Somalia. St.
Martin's P Inc. New York, 1999.
- Fitzgerald, Nina J. Somalia. Nova Science, Inc. New
York, 2002.
See also
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search