Word: eritrea
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...Paralysis." In 1896 Italy was, as she is today, attempting to wrest a colonial empire from Ethiopia. Then as now, domestic difficulties lay behind the military operations. After several years out of office, Francesco Crispi had staged a strong comeback as Premier of Italy. The new Italian colonies of Eritrea and Somaliland had just been established on the African coast. Though France and Russia were secretly negotiating with Haile Selassie's granduncle, the potent Emperor Menelik, many chiefs questioned his authority and seemed willing Italian allies. Early in the summer of 1895 Premier Crispi had called the new Governor...
...came their women brandishing long knives to mutilate the wounded. Killed were two of the five Generals, 4,600 Italian officers and soldiers. Two thousand were wounded, 2,000 taken prisoner. General Baratieri was court-martialed, finally acquitted. Premier Crispi resigned. The peace treaty returned a fine slice of Eritrea to Ethiopia, and the whole business cost Italy some $90,000,000 and a dirty splotch on her military escutcheon...
...easily swallow such ice-hearted candor, Il Duce's Son-in-Law Count Ciano worked happily away in his Ministry of Propaganda last week. His best Ethiopian atrocity: "On the night of May 31 wild Ethiopian tribesmen captured 4,000 head of cattle from an outpost in Italian Eritrea and carried off as slaves a number of men and women. The tribesmen mutilated several children who were abandoned bleeding on desert sands...
...local Italian Consul General, was pulled roughly off her camel by impetuous Ethiopians who detained her in the desert for two days-or so the Italian Government announced, loudly protesting this "outrage." For the rest of the week Rome rang with outrages. Ethiopians on the border of Italian Eritrea were charged with every petty villainy from "stealing an Italian shepherd's ten bulls'' to "arresting Ethiopians caught selling food to an Italian consul...
...Thousands of other soldiers and workers, however, are obliged to work all day in the scorching desert country, mending roads that trucks, tanks and tractors smash to bits a few hours later as they roar through the night to the plateau at the capital of [Eritrea], Asmara...