Eritrean Ascari After World War II
Many Eritrean Ascari fought for the independence of Eritrea after WWII. The most famous was Hamid Idris Awate, nicknamed the Father of Eritrea because he fired the first shots of the Eritrean War of Independence against the Ethiopians.
After the official end of the Italian Empire in 1947, the Italian government has dedicated some efforts to maintain organizations related to the Ascari in Italy and Eritrea.
In 1950 the Italian authorities created a pension fund for nearly 140,000 Eritrean Ascari who had served in the Italian colonial Army. Even if the amount was minimal (the equivalent of $100 yearly), this was paid in the Italian Embassy of Asmara and was of some value in the underdeveloped economy of Eritrea after World War II.
In 1993 1,100 Ascari were still living in Eritrea, but by 2006 only 260 were known. One surviving ascari, Beraki Ghebreslasie, lives in Rome.
Read more about this topic: Eritrean Ascari
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