UNTOLD HISTORY ( LAFOLE WAR 1886-1908).
This event sparked one of the longest resistance struggles in Southern Somalia (Banaadir) against Italian penetration and occupation of Somalia from 1886 to 1908. This long resistance is only second to the heroic struggle of Sayyid Muhammed Abdulle Hassan and his darawish army.
Introduction:
”With government approval, Cecchi prepared for an expedition into the interior. By November 25, he was ready to move; his caravan consisted of seventy askaris, Commander Ferdinando Maffei of the Staffetta, Commander Franscesco Mongiardini of the Volturno, and fourteen other Italians, for the most part members of the crews of the two ships. That very night their encampment at Lafoolé, some twelve miles inland, was attacked. In the early morning hours, as the caravan once more got under way, it was attacked again. By eight-thirty in the morning of November 26, all but three sailors were dead or dying.” ( Robert L. Hess , 1966).
This event sparked one of the longest resistance struggles in Southern Somalia (Banaadir) against Italian penetration and occupation of Somalia. This long resistance is only second to the heroic struggle of Sayyid Muhammed Abdulle Hassan and his darawish army.
What happened on that day of November 25-26th in 1896? Who was this Cecchi guy?
Who were these mysterious warriors that swiftly defeated this first Italian imperialist penetration of the hinterland of Banaadir?
And last but not least, what were the consequences of this event in Lafoole?
This episode in Somali history is perhaps the least known, although it had crucial impact on the future of Somalia. Instead, most Somalis are not aware of this event while the Italians had built a monument for Antonio Cecchi in Lafoole which still stands in the bush unvisited, while throughout the Banaadir 1896 is remembered in the count of the years as Axad Shiiki, the ‘Sunday Year of Cecchi’.
Who is Antonio Cecchi?
Antonio Cecchi was an ardent Italian expansionist who for some time had been urging the Italian government to take over the Banaadir concessions. In seeking to promote his own version of Italian power on the Somali coast. As already becomes clear, Antonio Cecchi spearheaded the Italian expansion into Somali territory when he led the first Italian expedition into the Somali hinterlands. He was chosen to lead the mission (expedition and Italian expansion) because of his past and reputation of been a supporter of Italian expansion into East Africa.
”The choice of Cecchi to head the mission was logical, for he had been active in the exploration of northeast Africa. In 1876 he had led an expedition from Zeila to the frontiers of Kaffa in southern Ethiopia. From that time he was an ardent partisan of Italian expansion into the horn. Cecchi was probably the first to succeed in directing Italian attention toward the Somali coast’’ (Robert L Hess)
The clash at Lafoole is immortalized by this shirib: Shiin dhigoow Sheikh Axmed Xaaji
Shiiki sheydaan maahan?
Translation:
Writer of (the Koranic verse) shiin, Sheikh Axmed Xaaji is not Cecchi a devil?
On the ‘Lafole Massacre’, the Italian minister of Foreign Affaires commented on the ‘Lafo0le Massacre’ that the Italian government would take ‘energetic measures’ to punish the Somalis who were ‘guilty of the outrage’.( New York Times, 1984)
The Italian government wanted to take, and see whether they could stem the coming tide of the monsoon storm of resistance headed towards the Benaadir coast region.
The Italian foreign minister immediately appointed Commander Giorgio Sorrentino as royal commissioner extraordinary for the Benaadir. His mission was as Robert L. Hess writes in his book ‘Italian colonialism in Somalia’:
”Sorentino was instructed ‘above all to provide for the security and tranquillity of the region’ After a complete investigation of the causes of the attack at Lafo0lé, he was to take whatever steps should appear indispensable for our dignity and for the security of the colony’’
This investigation completed within ten days which was around February 1897. “
The conclusion, Sorrentino drew was that the guilty ones were Geledi and the tribes of Wacadan, which meant that these tribesmen would be punished as the Italian foreign minister said in the NY Times report”
Sorrentino did was to plan a punitive expedition against the Somalis who were ‘guilty of the outrage’. For this he had ordered two companies of Eritrean askaris.
Sorrentino and Dulio, the Benaadir Company’s commissioner, had to content themselves with the expected punitive expedition against the tribes in the interior. Sorrentino was pleased at the prospect of this punitive expedition as he thought of the Somalis as: ”liars, thieves, and murderers”. A clear grudge from the ‘Lafole massacre’. He wrote in his book Ricordi del Benadir: ”We’ve got a nasty cat to skin!, May God protect us!”
In March the reinforcements of the two companies of Eritrean askaris finally arrived, and the Italians completed their plans for the punitive expedition against the Geledi and Wacadan,
On April 20, almost 5 months after the Lafoole attack, Sorrentino led his expedition inland and burned first Lafoole and then several other villages associated with the Geledi and Murusade clan. The religious settlement of Nimow from where Sheekh Axmed Xaaji preached his religious message was also bombarded by an Italian warship.
”The Italian bombardment of the small coastal village of Nimow in retaliation for Cecchi’s death marked the first such colonial action against a Somali civilian population.’’( Lee V. Cassanelli).
The Italians were joyful about these ‘energetic measures’ against the Somalis who were found guilty. Surprisingly, the Italians thought that these measures would solve everything and concluded that the Sorrentino expedition was a successful.
Although these punitive expeditions looked impressive, they had no lasting effect, as it further antagonized the Geledi, Wacadan clans and their ally. These punitive measures did not subdue the Wacdaan. Instead the Wacdaan remained harassing Italian presence on the Banadir coast by conducting guerrilla warfare tactics i.e. attacking caravans to the Banadir port-cities, organising blockades of the caravan routes that went through their territory to Mogadishu, and persecuting Somalis working with the Italians. Also the Biyamaal were one of the first groups to express their support for the Wacdaan in the lafoole attack. Biyamaal boycotted the markets of Merca, and the northern Biyamaals even collaborated with Hassan Husein of the Wacdaan. This collaboration led to the Biyamaal becoming also a target of punitive expeditions.
These allied Somali clan forced Italians to retreat back to the Coast, and only was visible in the cities of Merca, Mogadishu, Barawe and Warsheekh.
The Benaadir clans that were involved in this resistance were; the Geledi, the Biyamals, the Tunnis, the Murusades, the Wa’dans, the Abgals, the Galja’als the Shikhals and others.
A coalition of these clans prevented the Italian penetration to the hinterland of the inter-riverine region for over two decades (1886-1908).