THE NIGERIAN SOLD1ERS WHO MARCHED 1,700 MILES TO LIBERATE ETHIOPIA

THE NIGERIAN SOLD1ERS WHO MARCHED 1,700 MILES TO LIBERATE ETHIOPIA

THE NIGERIAN SOLD1ERS WHO MARCHED 1,700 MILES TO LIBERATE ETHIOPIA

When Fascist Italy inv@ded Ethiopia in 1935, it shocked Africans across the world.

Ethiopia was one of the few African nations that had successfully resisted Europe@n coloni@l rule, having famously defe@ted Italy at the B@ttle of Adwa in 1896.

But in 1935, Mussolini’s Italy inv@ded again. The Italians c@ptured Addis Ababa, forcing Emperor Haile Selassie into ex!le.

Then, during the Second World W@r, Nigerian sold1ers found themselves thousands of kilometres away from home — f1ghting in the campaign to drive the Italians out of Ethiopia.

In 1941, men of the 23rd (Nigeria) Brigade, serving as part of the 11th African Division of the Briti3sh East Africa Forces, embarked on an extraordinary journey.

They marched approximately 1,700 miles from Mogadishu to Addis Ababa.

To put that distance into perspective, that’s roughly like travelling from Lagos to Maiduguri and back.

And much of it was done on foot.

The march began on 1 March 1941 and lasted about five weeks.

Along the way, the Nigerian tr0ops fou’ght alongside other African and Allied f0rces against the Italian army. Their campaign helped clear Italian f0rces from Ethiopia and opened the way for the return of Emperor Haile Selassie.

On 5 May 1941, Haile Selassie returned to Addis Ababa.

And among the African soldiers who played a role in the campaign were Nigerians.

The symbolism was remarkable.

Nigerian soldiers had travelled thousands of kilometres from West Africa to f1ght in the liberation of another African nation.

They had crossed deserts, mountains and difficult terrain, fou’ght Italian f0rces and helped restore Ethiopia’s emperor to his capital.

This is one of the largely forgotten stories of Nigerian milit@ry history — the story of the Nigerian sold1ers who marched 1,700 miles to Ethiopia.

Their journey reminds us that Nigerian soldiers were f1ghting on some of the most distant b@ttlefields of the Second World W@r.

Today, Ethiopia remains a powerful symbol of African resistance…it is one of only two African countries generally regarded as having avo1ded long-term Europe@n colonial rule, alongside Liberia.

Ethiopia, A nation that fought to preserve its independence and, after the Italian occupation, regained its sovereignty. 🇪🇹

Did you know Nigerian soldiers fought in the liberation of Ethiopia?