Military history of Ethiopia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Military History of Ethiopia dates back to the formation of the modern nation in 950 BC. Ethiopia has been involved in most major conflicts in the African region.
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[edit] First Italo-Abyssinian War
The First Italian–Abyssinian War was fought between Italy and Ethiopia in 1895-1896. Unlike most of Africa, Ethiopia was able to avoide being conquered by the European powers. Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1895 but because Ethopia had established a modern army, the Italian forces were defeated in a year.
[edit] Second Italo-Abyssinian War
On October 4 1935 Facisst Italy invaded Ethiopia. Italian forces were able to defeat the Ethiopian forces in 8 months with the advance weaponry and the use of poisonious gas. Second Italo-Abyssinian War and the Mukden Incident is often seen as a precursor to World War II, and a demonstration of the ineffectiveness of the League.
[edit] World War II
During World War II Ethiopia was under Italian ocupation. The libration of started in early 1941 when Brititsh forces began the East African Campaign. By the end of May, Ethiopia had been librated.
[edit] Korean War
Ethiopia sent 1,271 - 3,518 troops as part of the United Nation Forces to aid South Korea. The troops were known as the Kagnew Battalion under the command of General Mulugueta Bulli. It was attached to the American 7th Infantry Division, and fought in a number of engagements including the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. 121 killed and 536 wounded during the conflict in Korea.
[edit] Eritrean War of Independence
In 1961 insurgence in Eritrea began a guerilla campaign against Ethiopia for independence. Eritrea gained independence in 1991 after the Ethiopian Civil War
[edit] Derg Rule
In 1974 a military coup overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie and declared Ethiopia a republic. Between 1974 – 1984 a communist military junta called Derg ruled.
[edit] Ogaden War
Somolia invaded the Ogaden region and starting the Ogaden War. Fighting erupted as Somalia attempted a temporary shift in the regional balance of power in their favour by occupy the Ogaden region. The Soviet Union switched from supplying Somalia to supporting Ethiopia, which had previously been backed by the United States. The war ended when Somali forces retreated back across the border and a truce was declared. Ethiopia was able to defeat the Somolian forces with the aid of the USSR and South Yemen. This was the first conflict theat the Mi-24 was used.
[edit] Ethiopian Civil War
The Ethiopian Civil War was a 17 year conflict between the Derg government backed by the USSR against anti-communist rebels backed by the United States. The conflict ended in 1991 with the Derg government defeated and out of power along with Eritrea gaining independence.
[edit] Eritrean-Ethiopian War
The Eritrean-Ethiopian War was a border clash that took place from May 1998 to June 2000. On May 8, a platoon of Eritreans soldier deployed into Badme region.
Fighting escalated to artillery and tank fire leading to four weeks of intense fighting. Ground troops fought on three fronts. Eritrea claims Ethiopia launched air strikes against Eritrea's capital Asmara while Ethiopia accused Eritrea of striking first. The fighting led to massive internal displacement in both countries as civilians fled the war zone.
The conflict ended in stalemate and deployment of UNMEE.
[edit] War in Somalia
In 2006 Ethiopia deployed troops to aide the TFG in the ongoing Somali Civil War. ENDF deployed troops in the northen region to aid the TFG and in the southern region with support from the United States Fifth Fleet. By January 2007 Ethiopian forces were about 200,000 troops.
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Gabon · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · Sudan · Swaziland · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Dependencies and other territories
Ceuta · Mayotte · Melilla · Puntland · Réunion · St. Helena · Somaliland · Western Sahara (SADR)
