Lechemti massacre
1936 CE.
Shown on the map at 8.964°, 36.667°.
The Lechemti massacre or massacre of Bonàia was an attack carried out during the night between 26 and 27 June 1936 by a group of Ethiopian guerrillas against an Italian military air expedition, led by General Vincenzo Magliocco, camped on the Bonàia airfield, near Nekemte (known in Italian sources as Lechemti), in the western region of Ethiopia. The objective of the military mission was to convince an Oromo leader, Dejazmatch Hapte Mariam, stationed in Lechemti, to submit to Italian forces in order to establish an Italian garrison in the western region, which would facilitate the Italian conquest of western Ethiopia. All the Italian members of the mission (including the flying ace Antonio Locatelli) were killed during a night attack carried out by young students from the Holeta military school, who were previously undergoing training by five Swedish officers led by Viking Tamm. The Italian soldiers were later awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor. Only Father Mario Borello survived the massacre. He had previously contacted Hapte Mariam himself and convinced Viceroy Rodolfo Graziani to undertake the expedition.
Text from the Wikipedia article Lechemti massacre, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.