NEW HOPES OF HAILE SELASSIE

Evening Star, Issue 23680, 13 September 1940, Page 8

NEW HOPES OF HAILE SELASSIE

CONDITIONS IN ABYSSINIA FIGHT FOR LIBERTY The following study (in the ‘ Christian Science Monitor ’) of conditions affecting opposition to the Italians in Ethiopia is by an American recently returned after extensive residence in Ethiopia. Haile Selassie, newly-recognised by Britain as the legitimate Emperor of Ethiopia, is calling to arms his warriors of three years ago in the hope of freeing his country from its invaders, the Italians. What are his hopes of aid among former followers and chiefs? Who is left to help him? Within his country who will his allies be? The anti-Italian plans in Ethiopia underwent a severe setback with tho surrender of France. Not only is tho French port of Djibouti completely eliminated as a war centre, but the French- surrender has paralysed a plan which had been carefully worked out by Djibouti’s governor. It was in French Somaliland, of which Djibouti is the capital, that the son of the late Li j Yasu had taken refuge. Lij Yasu was the dethroned king who, under his command, had united the Islamic community of Ethiopia. Although the Moslems had been opposed by the Coptic court of Haile Selassie, the Italians represented a. more active enemy. Thus the French plan was that Lij Ynsu’s son would carry the followers of Mohammed into revolt against Italian rule. Djibouti would have been a strategic point for direction of this action because of its proximity to Harrar, the centre of Islamism in Ethiopia. REVOLT CHANCES SUM. The French surrender, has, however, eliminated the possibility of a successful revolt against Italy on the part of the Mohammedan population m Ethiopia, and Haile Selassie will not be able to, oount on the Moslems, who represent one-fifth of the native population in Abyssinia. Italy, too, has worked toward getting the Mohammedans on its side. It is believed that the Sherifa Massaua, the only woman descendant of the prophet Mohammed, has been won over to the Italian side. She is reported to have received protection from the Governor of Eritrea, Diodace,

Haile Selassie may expect to count on a larger part of the Shoan and Amharic tribes, and above all he will find a very shrewd and experienced ally in General Abebe Arragia, with his following of skilled warriors, whom lie has trained and armed. During the last three years he has given much trouble to the Italians in Shoa province and Amhara.

General Abebe Arragia took no active part in behalf of his country at the time of the Italian invasion. His opinions wore completely opposed to those of the Emperor, in that he disagreed with the latter’s management of the Ethiopian defence. He believed that a technique of guerrilla warfare would have been more effective in stopping the Italian invasion, and was convinced that fighting the Italians in open'battle, where it was impossible to cope with the Italian artillery, tanks, and aviation, was folly. He wasi also opposed to the many European advisers with which Haile Selassie had surrounded himself. General Abebe thus remained in Addis Ababa in the position of military governor of that city. TRAINED IN EUROPE. Of superior culture to many of the Emperor’s generals, Abebe Arragia received bis military training at tho French Academy of St. Cyr, speaks excellent Italian as well as French, and prefers dressing in the European fashion. After the Italian conquest of Ethiopia he made his act of submission to the Italian. Government. The flame of rebellion was at that time kept high by the two sons of Has Cassa—who had fled to London, where he later passed on. They were close friends of Abebe Arragia, and the latter, who was thoroughly convinced of the uselessness of rebellion, tried to persuade tho two young men to submit to tho Italian Government. They finally came to this decision daring the summer of 1937, but as they were performing tho ceremony of submission the Italian military tribunal condemned them and they were executed. The uight that he received the news of his two friends’ execution Abebe Arragia fled from Addis Ababa disguised as a Coptic priest, and, hiding in the highlands, ho began to gather rebels and warriors together under his command. For the last three years he has given the Italians ranch trouble and made dangerous many of the roads throughout the country. His method of warfare is to gather, at a moment’s notice, a few thousand warriors or less

to attack convoys or isolated troops, destroy them, and disperse his men with lightning rapidity. The Italian colonial police, slower to move with their heavy arms in the mountainous ravines of a country still unknown to them, are unable to find them or to catch' up with them if they do find them. ATTACK ED-OUTPOSTS.

Abebe Arragia’s armaments are said to have been partly furnished by Mohammed Ali, a Hindu merchant expelled from Ethiopia in 1937, and partly by the spoils of war. During the last year he had become strong enough to dare attacks on* military outposts and small armed units. His attacks were so successful that the.ltalian military command sent an expedition of 6,000 men with 24 cannon in order to destroy once and for all the rebel chief. After 15 days their troops finally succeeded in encircling Abebe Arragia and his men in the valley of the Awash River about 70 miles from Addis Ababa, but, favoured by the darkness, Abebe Arragia again managed to slip away with his men and disappear once more into the mountains. Since then he has learned the lesson of not allowing his troops to become too large, and has divided them into smaller units. Towards last August the Italian Government gave up hope of catching the rebel, although it had even put a reward of 100,000 talers (about 50.000 dollars) on his head. General Nasi Military Commander of the Italian colonial troops in Ethiopia, began to entice the rebellious chief with favourable promises. Negotiations were well on the way when the outbreak of the European conflict gave fresh encouragement to Abebe Arragia and his followers, and the matter was dropped. Another of Haile Selassie’s allies will be General Ras Birru, whose activity during the Italo-Ethiopian campaign was not of great importance. He was never one of the ■ Emperor’s Ministers, in spite of reports to the contrary. During the campaign he led troops of approximately 40,000 warriors, who were a part of the army commanded by the kite Ras Mulugheta, the Emperor’s Minister of War. Defeated at the battle of Amba Aiadam, Ailu Birru escaped across the Sudan frontier and went to Cairo. He had always refused to surrender, even though the Italian Government sent him good terms through Ras Gugsa, Haile Selassie’s son-in-law. Ras Gugsa is in the good graces of the Italian Government and is still Ras of tlic Tigrai region.