ABDISSA AGA

Taken from an article by Dr. Fikre Tolossa

Colonel Abdissa Aga was born in Welega. His
father lost his temper and killed his own
brother when Abdissa was about 12 years old.
Though he went as far as Addis Ababa to
appeal for the release of his father, he was
executed. Sad and embittered, he joined the
Ethiopian Army around the age of 14 and
fought against Fascist Italy in 1936 in Ethiopia.
He was captured and imprisoned in a
concentration camp in the island of Sicily in
Italy. There he met Captain Julio, a Yugoslav
hero.

The two became friends and made a daring
escape from the concentration camp taking
with them a dozen prisoners to the woods.
They returned to the camp a few days later, at
night, led by young Abdissa who was terribly
feared by the Italians. Abdissa choked and
silenced the guards. He and Julio took off the
uniforms of the guards. Two of the former
prisoners wore the uniforms, held the guns of
the dead soldiers, and stood at the gate of the
camp pretending to be Fascist watchmen.
Abdissa and Julio, followed by the other
partisans Penetrated the camp, released all of
the prisoners, fought with some of the Fascist
officers, robbed them off their ammunitions
and supplies, as well as trucks full of
weapons, and drove back to the woods.

They continued to fight in that manner freeing
prisoners and robbing concentration camps,
banks, government warehouses, etc. until
their number grew to an army, and until the
Italian Government battled with them fiercely.
The partisans chose Abdissa to be their
leader and called him Major. The Italian
Fascists were terrified since they knew how
brave Ethiopians were recalling the Battle of
Dogali, Ambalage, Adwa, Maichew and
remembering the bravery of Zerai Deres,
whom later, Abdissa tried in vain to see and
hug. Taking advantage of the fear of the Italian
people, Italian gangsters painted their faces
black and started robbing banks and pillaging
villages imposing as Abdissa and other
Ethiopians who were also partisans together
with him. Abdissa caught these awe-inspiring
gangsters and executed them, since they
were discrediting his name by their atrocious
acts. The Italian Government did all it could to
catch Abdissa by force. As they failed to do
so, they tried to cajole and allure him by
promising him a big post and by begging him
to stop fighting and join their ranks. If I recall
correctly, Abdissa shot the Italian officer who
brought him the letter from the Italian
Government.

Finally, the Second World War broke out. The
Allied forces, Britain, the USA, France and
Russia recognized Major Abdissa, Captain
Julio and the rest of the partisans and began
to supply them with arms and provisions.
Major Abdissa Aga was chosen to lead the
international army of partisans (former
prisoners) which consisted of Americans,
English, French, Ethiopians and other
nationals. Captain Julio became the
commander of the Yugoslav partisans. This
way the partisans weakened Italy and
contributed to their defeat. Major Abdissa Aga
was the first hero who entered and captured
the city of Rome sitting in a jeep, waving first
and foremost the flag of Ethiopia, which was
also tied around the arms of his international
soldiers including Americans, French and
English. When the armies of the allies
reached Rome, they honored Major Abdissa
Aga highly. The British made him the
Commander of the British Military Police and
sent him to Germany to fight against the
German Army. He battled with the German
Nazis in different cities, defeated them,
controlled the cities and villages, and entered
Berlin triumphantly again waving Ethiopian
and British flags. He was in the spot light all
over the world.

At the end of the war, the British, the
Canadians and the Americans wanted him to
join their armies promising him high ranks. He
refused adamantly saying that though his
motherland, Ethiopia, was poor, he would still
return to her and see the face of his Emperor
whom he had missed for so long. This
incensed the Allies, and believe it or not, they
accused him of ravaging the Italian Fascists
when he was a partisan. The French, the
British, the Americans, even the Russians to
some extent condemned him. Fortunately, a
noble British general who had decorated him
with medals previously fought for his release
changing the prison sentence to financial fine,
which was paid by Abdissa himself and the
British Government.

The great Ethiopian hero finally returned to
Ethiopia longing to see his country and
Emperor. The Emperor welcomed him and
sent him to Ras Abebe Aregai, the then
Minister of Defense so that he would employ
him. Ras Abebe and some of the most
important patriots Ethiopia were scared of
Abdissa's valor and feared
for their own positions. So, instead of
promoting him to a general, Ras Abebe sent
Major Abdissa to the Holeta Military Academy
as a simple cadet. After several months of
hardship in Holeta he graduated as a first
lieutenant, to the surprise of the British
officers whom Abdissa used to command
when they were in Europe. Abdissa was
oppressed in the Ethiopian Army. He was sent
to the Ogaden and fought against the Somali
invaders displaying incredible courage and
military tactics. In spite of what he did to raise
the pride of Ethiopia and to safeguard her
territorial integrity, he didn't rise above the
rank of a captain for many, many years until
somebody (they say Captain Julio and
Marshal Tito) drew the attention of the
Emperor towards the end of the Emperor's life
and regime. The Emperor raised his rank to
colonel and made him his bodyguard. Colonel
Abdissa Aga the great died a few years after
the 1974 Ethiopian Revolution.