ETIOPIA

THE ITALIAN OCCUPATION 1936-1941 The acquisitive eye of Italy had grown more vigilant after Benito Mussolini’s ascent to power in 1922. Ten years later the Italian Minister for the Colonies, De Bono, devised a scheme for taking over Ethiopia. On 5 December 1934 Italian soldiers and Ethiopian forces engaged in a skirmish at Welwel in the Ogaden. The matter was brought before the League of Nations whose delays convinced Mussolini that he could go ahead with De Bono’s plan. The invasion began on 3 October 1935 and during the winter and early spring months Italy outmatched Ethiopia. Moreover, the Italians resorted to widespread use of chemical weapons and air force. On 2 May 1936, Emperor Haile Selassie left Ethiopia for French Somaliland and exile. Seven days later Italy issued a decree annexing Ethiopia. Selassie appealed for help from the League of Nations in a memorable speech that he delivered to that organisation’s headquarters in Geneva on 30 July 1936. Meanwhile, on 22 May, three stamps depicting King Victor Emmanuel III and inscribed ETIOPIA” were issued to be followed by four additional denominations on 5 December. These stamps had a short life span. Of the pre-existing thirty-eight post offices in the Ethiopian Empire