Abyssinia Crisis - The Walwal Incident

The Walwal Incident

On November 22, 1934, a force of 1,000 Ethiopian militia with three fitaurari (Ethiopian military-political commanders) arrived near Walwal and requested the Dubats garrison (about 60 men) to withdraw. The Somali NCO leading the garrison refused to withdraw and notified the fact to Captain Cimmaruta, commander of the garrison of Uarder, 20 km away.

The next day, while surveying the border between British Somaliland and abyssian, an Anglo–Ethiopian boundary commission arrived at Walwal. The commission was confronted by a newly-arrived Italian force. The British members of the boundary commission protested but withdrew to avoid an international incident. The abyssian members of the boundary commission stayed at Walwal.

Between 5–7 December, for reasons which have never been clearly determined, there was a skirmish between the garrison of Somalis who were in Italian service and a force of armed Ethiopians. According to the Italians, the Ethiopians attacked the Somalis with rifle and machine gun fire. According to the Ethiopians, the Italians attacked them, supported by two tanks and three aircraft. In the end, approximately 107 Ethiopians and 50 Italians and Somalis were killed. Neither side did anything to avoid confrontation; the Ethiopians repeatedly menaced the Italian garrison with the threat of an armed attack, and the Italians sent two planes over the Ethiopian camp with some machine-gun fire.