The Ex-Italian Colonies in Africa

This is No 6 in a series of articles on Military Geography carried forward from the Army Training Memorandum. Other articles in the series are—Sinkiang, ATM 50; Manchuria, ATM 51; Greece, ATM 52; Persia, ATM 53; Turkey, ATM 54.

THE ex-Italian colonies are situated on the African sub-continent and consist of Libya, Eritrea and Italian Somaliland.

Libya, which is divided into Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, is an area of 679,358 square miles centrally situated in North Africa on the Mediterranean Sea —flanked in the west by Tunisia and Algeria, in the east by Egypt and the Sudan, and extending as far south as French West Africa. There are three general zones—coastal, sub-desert and desert. The coastal belt of 17,321 square miles is considered to be the only area suitable for cultivation. The wet season extends from November until April, the remainder of the year being hot and dry.

The Eritrean coastline on the Red Sea is 670 miles long and the total land area of the colony is about 45,800 square miles —bordered by the surrounding States of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Abyssinia and French Somaliland. For climatic and agricultural reasons the country may be divided into two zones; the plains, including the lowlands along the coast, where climate is tropical and rains fall in winter; and the uplands, where it is cool and sometimes cold, with rains during the summer.

Italian Somaliland is situated on the east coast of Africa and its approximate area of 194,000 square miles is determined by the borders of British Somaliland and Abyssinia in the west, and Kenya in the south The climate is tropical and the rains are confined to the winter months of the year.

Resources

Date palms, oranges, olives, mulberries, almonds, figs, grape vines and many other fruit trees and Mediterranean plants grow on the coastal belt and oases of Libya. The plains are used as pasture land and to produce wheat and barley on a small scale. Animals grazed include cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, mules and horses, whose skins are tanned or exported as hides. Salt is mined in some sections of the country and the product is of a very good quality.

In Eritrea irrigation works are being carried out in the lowlands in order to facilitate farming production. Pasture is. abundant, and the pastural population is partly nomadic. Pearl fishing takes place at the Massawah and Dahlak Archipelagos, Salt pits are successfully mined and gold mines are worked in several localities.

In Italian Somaliland cattle rearing and agriculture are the principal occupations of the people. Products obtained from these sources are similar to those obtained in Libya but primitive self-sufficiency with enough surplus to buy imported cloth is the highest measure of unsubsidized prosperity this country can hope to enjoy.

History

Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, which had been under Turkish domination, were occupied by Italy in 1911, following a quarrel between Italy and Turkey. In 1934 the two areas were divided into four provinces and a military district, all of which in 1939 were incorporated into the national territory of Italy and became known as Libya. Allied forces completely conquered Libya by January 1943, and British Administration was established in the country.

The two provinces of Eritrea and Italian Somaliland were gained by Italy from the Arabs as a result of direct aggression. Eritrea is the oldest of the Italian colonies and was conquered in 1890, while Italian Somaliland became a colony in 1905. In 1936 these, together with Abyssinia, became known as the Colony of Italian East Africa and each became a State or Government of this Colony. Eritrea and Somaliland were conquered by British troops in 1941 and came under British Military Administration, while Abyssinia reverted to an independent status from 1942.

The British administration in the three colonies is a caretaker administration only, as it is the task of the United Nations to decide their future. Deputies of the Big Four Foreign Ministers began discussions on the future of the ex-Italian Empire in October 1947. A Commission of Investigation was appointed to make an “on the spot” survey of the colonies and departed for Eritrea on 6 November 1947. The investigation is still proceeding and it appears unlikely that any decisions will be reached until the end of this year.

Political

Before World War II the three colonies came under the direct colonial administration of Italy in conjunction with the tribal rule of the Sheikhs.

The British administration has apparently permitted more freedom of political thought and expression than previously, as there has undoubtedly been an awakening of political consciousness by the native populations within the last few years.

In Libya the administration has two separate units, one in Tripolitania and one in Cyrenaica because the two combined are far too unwieldy to control effectively by a single administrative body. Within the past year there has been international interest and political activity in regard to the future of this semi-desert, three times the size of France and having a population of only one million. The Senussi, who form the major part of the population of Cyrenaica—with practically no minorities—are almost politically united, mainly because of the influence of their leader El Sayed Idres, who is pro-British and who has greatly aided the administration in rehabilitating the country.

In Tripolitania, the Arab and Berber, together with the Jewish and Italian minorities do not present such political unity as in Cyrenaica. The Military Government is advised by an Arab Committee drawn chiefly from members of important families of tribes.

In Eritrea there are two main groups of politicians, the Copts and the newly formed Muslim League, the former pressing for an immediate union with Ethiopia and the latter for an independent Eritrea with a preliminary trusteeship, preferably by Britain.

Italian Somaliland as a unit is difficult to discuss politically as it is only a part of the territory of the Somali nation—a territory embracing British and French Somaliland, the northern province of Kenya and Ethiopian Ogaden. The population are generally illiterate nomads with no conception of any unit greater than the tribe.

Whichever trustee assumes the task of educating the Somalis towards self-government will find that a good start has been made by the British Administration, but even responsible native leaders realize that self-government by the Somalis is not a possibility in the forseeable future.

Strategic Significance

Libya is a part of the north African coastline, the possession of which would be necessary to adequately control the Mediterranean. It would also be a valuable base for air operations over Europe and the Middle East, and as a springboard for combined operations to the north and north-east.

Eritrea occupies a strategic position at the entrance to the Red Sea and is also essential to Ethiopia for ingress to the Red Sea.

Italian Somaliland has an extensive coastline on the Indian Ocean linking British Somaliland and Kenya. Ports on this coastline could be of great value as bases for operations in the Indian Ocean.

Ties to Other Nations

All three colonies have a predominantly Arab population whose main religion is that of Mohammed, and therefore strong religious ties exist between them and the people of other Arab and Muslim countries. Eritrea which was a part of Ethiopia until 1890 has religious, cultural and social ties with that country.

In both Italian Somaliland and Libya, the inhabitants have common tribal ties with other surrounding areas and the geographic boundaries of the map do not necessarily distinguish particular races.

Influences Being Brought to Bear

The major Powers are all interested in the future of the ex-Italian Empire and there have been numerous indications of the attitudes which the Powers intend to adopt, when the issue is finally discussed in the U.N.

The USSR after the end of World War II suggested U.N. trusteeship of Libya with preferably a Russian as the Adminitrator of Tripolitania, but now appears to favour the return of the area to Italy. The USSR is undoubtedly interested in obtaining a footing in North Africa and probably considers that either U.N. trusteeship or sole Italian administration, would be the most desirable solution toward achieving this objective.

The U.K. undoubtedly wishes to retain her present influence in the Mediterranean and would therefore probably oppose any solution which might alter the balance of Power in favour of any other major nation. In 1942 the U.K. promised the Senussi in Cyrenaica that they would not permit them to be returned to Italian rule.

The French appear to favour either the return of the colonies to Italy or a joint Franco-Italian trusteeship of at least Libya. The French no doubt consider that an independent Arab State so close to Tunisia would be a danger to French influence in her African Empire,—already weakened by the growth of Arab nationalism—and that an international trusteeship may, from her point of view, adversely affect the present status quo in North Africa.

The U.S.A. favours a collective trusteeship of all the colonies.

Ethiopia wants an access to the sea, and is therefore agitating for trusteeship of Eritrea or Italian Somaliland in order to achieve this object.

The U.K. recently suggested a realistic solution for Somaliland, designed to merge the Somali territories into a United Somaliland. Apart from international repercussions and opposition, this scheme would probably also face some internal difficulties and the wide vision of a United Somaliland may be shut out by the narrower terms of reference.

These divergent opinions and views give some indication of the difficulties which must be overcome before a solution is found which is acceptable to all the Powers, and which would also enable the inhabitants of the countries concerned to progress toward eventual self-government.