Presentation of the Adwa War

As part of the training program organized by Africa Without Borders, a session was devoted to the Battle of Adwa, a major turning point in African history. The presentation, given by Ms. Atiya Djemal, history student, presented in depth the causes, the course, the strategic dimensions and the impact of this battle on the liberation struggles of the African continent. The speaker explained that the expansionist policies of Italy, determined to turn Ethiopia into a colony, constituted the fundamental cause of the conflict. He notably stressed that the crisis between the two countries was triggered by the “protectorate” clause that Italian negotiators knowingly tried to impose in the Treaty of Wuchale. In this context, the diplomatic vigilance of Emperor Menelik II proved decisive: aware of the growing colonial pressures from European powers, he knew how to mobilize international balances to Ethiopia's advantage from the preparation phase. The presentation then detailed the course of the war, emphasizing the policy of strategic unity put in place by Menelik II. He succeeded in uniting diverse ethnic and regional communities into a single, coordinated army, demonstrating a remarkable capacity for logistical planning. Thanks to a mobilization unprecedented in Ethiopian history, nearly 100,000 soldiers were assembled, armed and supplied after several months of careful preparation. After a series of military maneuvers spread over about a month, the decisive Battle of Adwa took place on March 1, 1896 and resulted in a crushing victory for Ethiopia, inflicting a resounding defeat on the Italian army. One of the central points of the conference was the symbolic and political importance of this victory for the entire African continent. It was recalled that Adwa's triumph is not on