Draft:Battle of Fageta

Following their occupation of Ethiopia, Italian authorities sought to secure their rule in regions such as Gojjam, including Agaw Meder, through force rather than negotiation. Policies were implemented that included widespread disarmament of the rural population and a ban on paying taxes or tribute to local lay and ecclesiastical elites, instead redirecting all obligations to the colonial administration. These policies were rejected by the people of Agaw Meder, who subsequently organized resistance efforts.

By August 1937, patriots from Agaw Meder, Säkäla, Aććäfär, and surrounding areas began coordinating under the leadership of Grazmač Qoläç. They reached out to Däjazmač Mängäša Jämbäré, a former commander at the Battle of Shire (1936), to lead their movement. Delegates from several districts met Mängäša on 23 August 1937 at Guta, where he agreed to lead the resistance. On 29 August 1937, a mass assembly of patriots and delegates convened at Kuwakura near the Abay River. Mängäša formally accepted leadership and, following traditional rituals, pledged mutual loyalty with the patriots. Oaths were sworn in local churches, and clergy invoked ancestral curses on any who betrayed the movement. ^[3]

In late November 1937, Italian forces under Colonel Umberto Carrano advanced from Gondar toward Yidibi in the Yilmana-Densa district, aiming to relieve besieged garrisons. Däjazmač Deräs Šefäraw, a subordinate of Mängäša, had been engaging Italian forces in the area. Mängäša mobilized forces from various districts, including reinforcements from the followers of Däjazmač Wond Wäsän Kassa. Using the rallying cry "Erda Lämatäbeh" ("fight for your religion"), Mängäša launched an offensive on 29 November 1937 that lasted until 3 December 1937.

The patriot forces cut off Italian supply lines, inflicted heavy casualties, and captured large stores of modern weaponry, including rifles, pistols, ammunition, and supplies. Colonel Carrano was wounded in the fighting but managed to escape. Following this victory, Mängäša’s territorial control expanded to include Agaw Meder, Bahir Dar, Bälaya, Säkäla, and parts of Çilga district in Gondar. Another Italian column advancing from Bahir Dar was ambushed at Girifit, where the patriots again inflicted severe losses.

In response, the Italians launched a renewed offensive in March 1938 under General Gallina, with orders from General Mezzetti to retake the area. Mängäša employed guerrilla tactics, drawing the enemy into mountainous terrain where supply and reinforcements were limited. After reconnaissance, Gallina commenced his offensive on 25 March 1938.

Heavy fighting continued for three days, supported by Italian aerial bombardments. Despite initial Italian gains, patriot resistance stiffened, and Gallina was ordered to retreat to Injabara. The patriots maintained control of Fageta, and captured arms, supplies, and medical equipment. While Italian sources downplayed the defeat as inconclusive, local testimonies and later Italian military documents acknowledged it as a major setback.^{[4] [3]}

Following the March 1938 battle, Italian positions in northwestern Gojjam were weakened. Mängäša’s military success increased his influence, and local uprisings spread into Quwara, Ţaqusa, Gazege, and Aläfa in Bägémeder. To destabilize the resistance, Italian authorities resorted to propaganda. In November 1940, Italian aircraft dropped a leaflet claiming that Emperor Haile Selassie had granted Mängäša the title of Ras and would name him Negus of Gojjam. The leaflet was intended to create divisions among Gojjamite leaders but was ultimately exposed as a forgery by Azazh Käbädä, averting internal conflict among the patriots.

In March 1940, a cavalry detachment from Lieutenant Colonel Torelli's 22nd Colonial Brigade was ambushed by Mängäša’s forces near the Little Abay crossing during their evacuation of Fageta. Torelli managed to escape with casualties, but the garrison at Fageta was not replaced due to the area’s vulnerability. The patriots took full control of the town, which later served as British liaison officer Major Orde Wingate’s operational base in the region.

By September 1940, Mängäša led 700 patriots in escorting Wingate’s mission through Gojjam to Fageta. The region remained a stronghold of resistance, and the failure of successive Italian campaigns to dislodge the patriots solidified Fageta’s symbolic and strategic importance in the Arbegnoch struggle. ^[3]