With Italy
In 1935, he was conscripted by the Italians to serve in the colonial army of the Eritrean Ascari. Beside his fluency in Arabic, Tigre, Tigrinya, Nara, Hedareb, and Kunama, Awate learned very well the Italian language within a short period of time and was sent to Rome for a course in military intelligence.
After returning from Italy, he was appointed as a security officer in western Eritrea. Shortly after, he served as deputy chief (Mayor) of the city of Kassala (Sudan) and its surroundings during the brief Italian occupation of that city in 1940/1941 at the beginning of WWII. As Mayor of Kassala he promoted the political union of that city to his Eritrea (an Italian-created nation that was even called Primigenia, or "first daughter" of Italy), but the English attack at the end of January 1941 forced him to renounce to it.
He fought as a brave ascari in the Battle of Cheren and participated to the Italian guerilla war in Eritrea against the British and Ethiopians in World War II with the cavalrymen of Ali Gabre.
Read more about this topic: Hamid Idris Awate
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