Revisiting Graziani’s Atrocities in Ethiopia

A few months ago, the Italian town of Affile erected a controversial monument to Fascist military leader Rodolfo Graziani who was once known as "the Butcher of Ethiopia." In response, a panel discussion to shed light on Graziani's war crimes during the second Italian invasion of Ethiopia will be held starting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 13 at Abyssinian Ethiopian Restaurant in Silver Spring, Maryland. (Image from Ethio-Mixer flyer)

Washington, D.C. (TADIAS)- The early days of 1937 were one of the most horrifying in Addis Ababa’s history. Fascist Italy’s top general, Rodolfo Graziani, had given orders to his troops to unleash terror and mass murder against the country’s civilian population; this was revenge for the Ethiopian resistance’s attempt to assassinate him.

Ambassador Imiru Zeleke was one of the people swept up in the wanton violence and taken as Prisoner of War. Ambassador Imiru will be speaking about his experience at an event in Silver Spring, Maryland on Thursday that is designed to highlight Graziani’s record as a war criminal in Ethiopia.


According to organizers, other panelists at the event include survivors of families of those who perished under Graziani’s command. Mr. Fesseha Dawit, member of the Ethiopian Genocide Committee (EGC), whose three uncles were executed at the time is also listed as a speaker. He is the grandson of Kentiba Gebru Desta, Mayor of Gonder, who was a member of the first official Ethiopian diplomatic delegation to the United States in 1919. Mr. Tamrat Medhin, also a member of EGC and President of Little Ethiopia Organization, whose mother and grandmother were POWs after his great uncle Dejatch Fikre Mariam Abatechan was killed fighting fascist forces in the vicinity of Addis Ababa, as well as Mr. Nicola A. DeMarco, who served in the Axum Obelisk Return Committee, and Dr. Akilelu Habte will take part in the event.

This program is being organized by Ethio-Mixer, a weekly events series, and in light of recent developments in Affile, Italy, where Benito Mussolini’s top enforcer in Africa is being celebrated as a hero with the newly constructed memorial that is partly paid for by public funds.