Siege of Mekelle

Siege of Mekelle
Part of the First Italo-Ethiopian War
Ethiopian troops attacking the besieged Italians
Date 7–21 January 1896 Location Mek'ele, Ethiopia Result Ethiopian victory
Belligerents
Italy	Ethiopia
Commanders and leaders
Giuseppe Galliano	Menelik II
Strength
1,306 (1,114 Askari & 192 Italians) 2 mountain guns	27,000
Casualties and losses
35 killed 78 wounded	~600 killed

The siege of Mekelle, sometimes known as the battle of Mekelle, took place in January 1896 during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. Italian forces surrendered a partially completed fort at Mekelle, a city in the northern Tigray Region of Ethiopia which they had occupied since 1895, to Ethiopian forces.

Battle

Shewan warriors in the trenches of Ras Mengesha Yohannes' palace

The Italians numbered 20 officers, 13 non-commissioned officers, and 150 privates, they were supported by 1,000 Askari and two mountain guns. The Ethiopian army numbered around 27,000 men.

Ras Makonnen laid siege to the fort, and on the morning of 7 January 1896, the defenders of the fort spotted a huge red tent among the besiegers, showing that the emperor had arrived. After two weeks of bombardment by Ethiopian artillery and very costly attacks on the Italian positions, the Ethiopians managed to cut off the fort's water supply and then fought off desperate Italian attempts to retake the well. On 19 January 1896, the fort's commander, Major Galliano, whose men were dying of dehydration, raised the white flag of surrender. Major Galliano and his men were allowed to march out, surrender their arms and to go free. Menelik stated he allowed the Italians to go free as "to give proof of my Christian faith," saying his quarrel was with the Italian government of Prime Minister Francesco Crispi that was trying to conquer his nation and not the ordinary Italian soldiers.