Following the ignominious defeat, the colonizing Italian troops suffered at the hands of valorous sons and daughters of Ethiopia at the Battle of Adwa, which overturned the wrong perception that blacks could not take the upper hand in any sphere of engagement with whites, wounded predators were licking a wound.
The devastating blow the aforementioned colonizing troops suffered sent a deadly message to scramblers of power across Europe that they could not press ahead annexing Africa without a boomerang.
It as well beckoned to freedom fighters across the world the perks of fighting to the finish with victimizers as well as the fruits of dramatic unity to maintain one’s independence and God-bestowed freedom, not meant for compromise. With an axe to grind, the Italians of expansionist bent were preparing militarily and diplomatically, simultaneously waiting for a golden opportunity to strike back Ethiopia.
Unlike Emperor Menelik II Emperor Haile Selassie didn’t focus more on military strength as he vested much hope on the banished League of Nations, which exercised double standard in handling the Ethiopian and the Italian case failing to be impartial.
Once more the expansionists who seemed not to lose heart tried to encroach on Ethiopian soil using banned poisons gas, for they knew a firm infantry grueling awaits them.
They managed to occupy the country for 5 years in the meantime suffering the guerilla attack of patriots. It became clear to Rodolfo Graziani that subduing Ethiopians is as a wild dream when freedom-loving Ethiopian youths threw bombs to cut him brief while he threw a birthday party of Nepal Prince’s son on Feb 19,1937 (12 Yekatit 1921) to show his government’s fake magnanimity.
In a knee-jerk reaction, Graizani ordered attack on armed civilians. Over 30,000 Ethiopians were brutally murdered in a carnage held for threedays on end from Addis to JigJiga, and Debrelibanos monastery. Even monks, children, women and senior citizens could not be spared of the death knell. Huts were subjected to conflagrations.
This felony testified the hidden revenge that topped fascist’s agenda. This inhuman act will go down in the annals of History exposing the brutality of fascists. This notwithstanding, Ethiopian youths in town and matured senior patriots including women in valleys and gorges ambushed the Italian troops and wiped the larger portion of them out once more carrying across the message tampering with Ethiopians is flirting with fire. We Ethiopians mark this Martyrs Day especially at the Yekatit 12 Martyrs monument here in Addis with unbowed head reminiscent of the fact that we did manage to annihilate invaders. The damage inflicted on civilians as portrayed on the monument drives home the defeat of the invading troops that resorted to hatchets and axes when they run out of bullet to continue their killing-spree.
The reversed invasion after a heavy price is a showcase that that there is no earthly power that could bring Ethiopia to its knees when its people gets united in all spheres including religion and ethnicity.
That is why the country’s historic enemies, hypocrites and opportunists lose no opportunity to see divided Ethiopia in vain for the latter has proved its resilience times beyond number. Knowing full well this fact shutting all doors for divisive wedges and standing united in the development front too as we did in actualizing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam we have to bolster and spur Ethiopia’s development.
As we suffered undue treatment by the League of Nation, we are undergoing a similar revolting conduct by the UN which deliberately sees the culpable inculpable and vise versa denying the white elephant in the room. It must learn to cut strings attached to it to emasculate its impartiality and to stop bloodshed after probing into the tangible situation on the ground.
Otherwise, it must cede place to a new world order where Africa and the truth will have a strong foothold.
This special day has to be marked across the nation to inculcate in the minds of youngsters about the golden history of their country, which they badly need to live with freedom spearheading their emergence out of poverty and leapfrogging to affluence. The sentiment of Pan Africanism must come in tandem with this.
The Ethiopian 20 February 2022
