The Massacre of Debre Libanos

Book excerpt: One of worst crimes committed by Italian fascism during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia was the massacre of the monks of Debre Libanos, on 20 May 1937. Graziani, the fascist Viceroy, then telegraphed from Addis Ababa to Rome, in a secret telegram, that 297 monks had been shot, yet in truth many, many more died. The author, Ian Campbell, is a Development Consultant specialising in East Africa, has been studying Ethiopia's cultural history since he arrived in Addis Ababa in 1988. In this publication he looks at the history of the monastery of Debre Libanos, and in particular the backround and history of the massacre and pillaging of the monastery by fascist Italian forces, which killed over a thousand monks. It also includes information on the rounding up of citizens thought to have some association with the monastery and who sere sent to Danane concentration camp, many not surviving.