Massacre of Warsheikh

Massacre of Warsheikh
Part of Italian Somali Wars
Somali attack on Italian ships at warsheikh
Date April 24, 1890 Location Warsheikh, Somalia Result Somali victory Destruction of the Italian expedition
Belligerents
Kingdom of Italy	Warsheikh Somalis
Commanders and leaders
Lieutenant Carlo Zavagli   † Captain Angelo Bartorello  (DOW)	Chief of Warsheikh

The Massacre of Warsheikh (Somali : Xasuuqii Warsheekh Italian : Massacro di Uarsheikh) or Attack on Warsheikh was the attack on an Italian ship by native Somalis under the local Chief of Warsheikh in April 1890 offshore of the city of Warsheikh in Somalia. ^[1]

An Italian ship lieutenant Carlo Zavagli and sailor captain Angelo Bartorello were attacked and killed offshore of Warsheikh by local Somalis. This led to the first colonial naval bombardment in Somalia's history as retaliation. ^{[2] [3]}

Background

Zavaglis mission

Portrait of Lieutenant Carlo Zavagli

On April 24, 1890 An Italian steamboat Volta was ordered to be equipped and sent to the shores of Warsheikh under the command of Lieutenant Zavagli, with instructions to seek a meeting with the local chief of the area, who’s population and rulers primarily belonged to the Abgaal sub-clan of the Hawiya Somalis, to “demonstrate the crew’s friendly intentions and to offer gifts for the chiefs and the population.” Alongside Zavagli were Coxswain Angelo Bertolucci, Seaman 3rd Class Angelo Bertorello, Engineer 3rd Class Alfredo Simoni, Stoker 2nd Class Giuseppe Gorini, Chief Helmsman 2nd Giovanni Gonnella, and an Arab interpreter Said Achmed. ^[4]

History

The Massacre

What happened after Zavagli arrived, from Minister Brin's report to the King, was a veritable ambush, launched at a signal from the Somali chief against the Italians who had disembarked. Zavagli was immediately wounded and died on the boat, which was hastily trying to get out to sea while the rest of the crew fired wildly to cover their escape. Bertorello was hit by the Somalis while working on the anchor; he suffered wounds, which caused him to die shortly after, he jumped into the water to free the propeller from its mooring where it had become entangled due to the disaster. ^[5] Upon return, their boat was studded in arrows, and Lieutenant Zavagli’s body in a pool of blood, his head decapitated. ^[1]

Italian Monument for Carlo Zavagli

The death of Lieutenant Zavagli, and Bertorello, is one of the many “incidents” that stalled Italian colonial ambitions in Somalia.

Aftermath

Sheekh Ahmed Gabyow, also known as Sheekh Gabyow, recited this poem at the end of June 1891 after the battles of Cadale and Warsheikh killing the Lieutenant Carlo Zavagli, along with 60 Italian colonial troops said to have been the first call for Somali nationalism. ^[6]

We are fighting for the Somalis We fight those who commit evil Oh ye reject colonial infidels Before the wind of death takes you Turning to ashes to be eaten by worms So rear the path for future generations

— Ahmed Gabyow

After another Italian defeat at Lafoole in 1896 dubbed the "Somali Adwa" by the Italians, resulting in the death of Italian Consul General Antonio Cecchi, the most important expeditionist and fervent promoter of the Italian Colonial Administration. Italian ships bombed the coasts of Nimmo and Jasira, before withdrawing to their limited areas of influence on the coast for numerous years. ^[7]

See also

• Italian-Somali Wars
• Banadir resistance
• Italian Somaliland

References

1. Finaldi, Giuseppe (2016). A History of Italian Colonialism, 1860–1907: Europe's Last Empire. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-138-69797-3.
2. Belkeziz, Abdelilah (2009). The State in Contemporary Islamic Thought: A Historical Survey of the Major Muslim Political Thinkers of the Modern Era. Bloomsbury (I.B. Tauris imprint). p. —. ISBN   978-1-84885-062-0.
3. Ali, Ismail I. (2017). The State in Contemporary Islamic Thought: A Historical Survey of the Major Muslim Political Thinkers of the Modern Era. Herndon, VA: International Institute of Islamic Thought. p. 187.
4. "24 aprile 1890: il riminese Carlo Zavagli ucciso in Somalia". ChiamamiCittà.it (in Italian). ChiamamiCittà. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
5. "ChiamamiCittà – Registrazione al Tribunale di Rimini". ChiamamiCittà.it (in Italian). ChiamamiCittà. Retrieved 31 July 2025. Chiamamicitta.it è una testata registrata presso il Tribunale di Rimini – Reg. n. 1458/2016 del 29/07/2016
6. Royle, Trevor (1997). The Last Days of the Raj. London: John Murray. p. 347. ISBN   978-0-7195-5686-9.
7. Hess, Robert L. (1966). Italian Colonialism in Somalia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.