Italian Somali Wars

Italian Somali Wars
Part of the Scramble for Africa, Somaliland campaign

Italian map displaying the stages of Italian colonial occupation of Somalia.
DateIrregularly between 1900 and 1927
Location
Result Italian victory
Territorial
changes
Belligerents

Kingdom of Italy

Supported by:

Dervish Movement

Commanders and leaders

Maria De Vecchi

Mohamed Abdullah Hassan
Osman Mohamoud 
Ali Yusuf Kenadid
Sheikh Hassan Barsane (POW)
Sheikh Abdi Abikar Gafle
Ma’alin Mursal Abdi Yusuf
Haji ibrahim Gaashan
Omar Samatar
Hersi Boqor
Abshir Dhoore (DOW)

The Italian Somali Wars were a series of military conflicts between the Kingdom of Italy and various Somali Sultanates and clans, from 1900 until around 1927. After the end of the Dervish war, the fascist Italian government under Benito Mussolini, ordered the conquest and occupation of the entirety of Somalia by force through the Royal Corps of Colonial Troops. This led to armed resistance and rebellions across the country.

Following two treaties in 1889, The Kingdom of Italy established a protectorate over northern Somali territories ruled by the Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate. In the southern regions of Somalia, the Italian company “Societa' Filonardi” created by Vincenzo Filonardi established protectorates in the cities of Adale, Mogadishu, Merca, Barawa, Warsheikh, Giumbo, Luuq, Jazeera, Afgooye, Mareeg, Bariire, Danane and Balcad on the Banaadir coast. The territories between the Shabelle and Jubba rivers in the following years. During this period, the Bimaal and Wa'dan revolts near Merca marked the Somali resistance to Italian expansion, coinciding with the rise of the anti-colonial Dervish movement led by Mohammed Abdullah Hassan'.