LEAGUE OF NATIONS DISPUTE BETWEEN ETHIOPIA AND ITALY REQUEST BY THE ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT Memorandum by the Italian Government on the SITUATION IN ETHIOPIA 6 t k i a l N ° : C.340.M .171.I935 Vi i Geneva, September n th , 1935. LEAGUE OF NATIONS DISPUTE BETWEEN ETHIOPIA AND ITALY REQUEST BY THE ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT Memorandum by the Italian Government on the SITUATION IN ETHIOPIA I. REPORT Series of League of Nations Publications VII. POLITICAL 1935. VII.11. ____ CONTENTS. Part I. — ITALY AND ETHIOPIA. [jjïroddctory N o t e .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... j — Violations o f I t a l o -E t h i o p i a n T r e a t i e s b y E t h i o p i a ................................................................................................................ A. Treaties regarding the Eritrean Frontier....................................................................................... (a) Violations of the Convention of May 15th, 1902—Ambush laid for a group of Italian subjects; (b) Violation of Convention of July 10th, 1900, regarding the eastern boundary between Eritrea and Tigre— Ethiopian obstruction to the work of the Mixed Commission—Wrongful Ethiopian occupation of Italian territory— Attack by Ethiopian raiders on the Mabra plain and outrages by them on women and children; (c) Violation of Article 2 of the Convention of May 16th, 1908, regarding the frontiers in the Danakil; (d) Violation of Article 5 of the same Convention, which prohibits crossings of the frontier and raids. B. Treaties regarding the Somali Frontier ............................................................................................................................. Violation of the Convention of May 16th, 1908—Impossibility of proceeding to delimitation through the fault of the Ethiopian Government—Military occupation of the Italian locality of Scillave by the Ethiopians. C. Pact of Amity of 1928 and Convention regarding the Assab-Dessieh R oad ..................................................... (a) Obstacles placed by the Ethiopian Government in the way of the development of Italo- Ethiopian trade; (6) Systematic opposition of that Government to Italian co-operation in the administrative, technical, social, humanitarian, agricultural, commercial and industrial spheres. D. Klobukowski Treaty on the Treatment of Foreigners in E thiopia ........................................................................ Illegitimate prohibition of the ownership of landed property—Hindrances and obstacles to freedom of movement—Monopolies and exclusive privileges of purchase and sale established in violation of the Treaty— Illicit increase in Customs duties and imposition of new Customs charges not allowed by the Treaties— Discrimination among neighbouring States in violation of the most-favoured-nation clause—Administration of justice where foreigners are involved—Illegal arrests of foreign subjects and protected persons. E. Conclusions....................................................................................................................................................................................... II. — Acts against the Security of the Italian Colonies and against th e Italians in E thiopia ...................... Ethiopian Attempts to commit Acts of Aggression against the Italian Colonies while Italy was engaged in the European W a r ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1. Affronts to Italian diplom atic and consular r e p resen ta tiv es.................................................................... 2. A cts directed against Italian lives, property and i n t e r e s t s .................................................................... 3. Raids, aggressions and frontier in c id e n t s ........................................................................................................... C o n c lu sio n ................................................................................................................................................................................... III. — Ch r o n ic D is o r d e r in E t h i o p i a — - I t a l y 's P o s it io n i n E t h io p ia u n d e r E x i s t i n g T r e a t ie s .... Chronic disorder in Ethiopia — Revolts and p} onunciamentos — Political action of the present Emperor since his coronation — Italian sphere of influence in Ethiopia. Part II. — ETHIOPIA AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. I. — H o w E t h io p ia b e c a m e a M e m b e r o f t h e L e a g u e o f N a t i o n s .............................................................. Admission of Ethiopia to the League of Nations and conditions to which the admission was subject — British public opinion against the admission of Ethiopia to the League - - The value and scope of the Ethiopian declaration and the special obligations arising therefrom - - How Ethiopia responded to the trust placed in her by the States Members of the League. P o litica l St r u c t u r e a n d C o n d i t i o n s o f E t h i o p i a i n r e l a t io n t o A r t ic l e i o f t h e C o v e n a n t . A. A byssinia and her " Colonies ’’ ............................................................................................................................................. Clear distinctions between the Abyssinian State and the territories conquered by it — Difference of religion, language, history, race and political and social structure — Negus's domination over non-Abyssinian populations — The “ gebbar " system (a form of slavery) applied to subject populations -— The Ethiopian Government’s responsibility for the decimation of the subject populations — Ethiopia’s incapacity to possess a colony. B. Disorganisation of Public Authorities in E thiopia ...................................................................................................... Inadequate authority of the Central Government — Grave dangers resulting therefrom. I^55 (F.) 950 (A.). 9/35. Imp. Kundig. I I I . — E t h io p ia a n d A r t ic l e 23 o f t h e C o v e n a n t 43 IV. -— Violations of the Special Engagements undertaken by Ethiopia tow ards the League of N ation 46 A. Slavery in E th iopia ....................................................................................................................................................... 46 The suppression of slavery the primary condition for the admission of Ethiopia to the League of Nations — Accession of Ethiopia to the international Acts regarding the abolition of slavery_ Ethiopia does not fulfil the obligations undertaken —- Italian information on the subject Lists of slave owners — Slave traffic — Powerlessness of the public authorities to repress the slave trade — The State, donations and private rearing of slaves —- Horrors of dom estic slavery — The enquiry of the British Anti-slavery Society — The report of Lord Noel Buxton and Lord Pohvarth to the League of Nations and the British Foreign Office — Slavery the basis of the economic system _ The power of the Negus — A memorandum by the French Government — The two British White Papers — Lady Simon's opinion on Ethiopia — Two million slaves out of a population of ten m illions — The social and religious classes against the abolition of slavery — Other British opinions B. Traffic in Arms and Ammunition The Ethiopian declaration of 1923 and the Treaty of Paris of 1930 between Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Ethiopia —• Violations of conventions concerning the control of the traffic in arms and ammunition (improper sale of arms) — Non-fulfilment of obligations under the Paris Treaty of 1930 — Foreigners prohibited from being in possession of arms. VI. B a r b a r i s m i n E t h i o p i a Emasculation and traffic in eunuchs — Cannibalism and the bleeding of infants —- Life of lepers - A typical case of xenophobia — Barbarous law — Punishments — Ethiopian prisons. C o n c l u s io n s 63 — 5 — Part I. ITALY AND ETHIOPIA. The Government of His Majesty the King of Italy calls attention to the special political and legal position of Italy w ith regard to Ethiopia. Since th e middle of the last century, Italy has been in relations w ith the countries forming the present Ethiopian State, and has materially contributed, through h e r travellers and explorers, her missionaries, her scientists and her diplomatists, even at the cost of their blood, to a knowledge of Ethiopian territory and to the endeavours made to exercise a civilising influence in those regions. Italy’s various activities in Ethiopia received legal sanction in the Treaty of May 2nd, 1889, Article 17 of which was notified to the Powers on October n t h , 1889, for the purposes of Article 34 of the General Act of Berlin of February 26th, 1885, as constituting an Italian Protectorate over Ethiopia. I t was accordingly to be supposed that the peaceful development of Italo-Ethiopian co­ o p e r a t i o n under a regime analogous to that set up in other African and Asiatic regions was assured. But, immediately after the conclusion of the Treaty of 1889, the Ethiopian Government failed in its treaty obligations, and thereafter initiated a series of hostile acts against Italy, which, becoming more and more serious, ended in the armed conflict of 1895-1896. This conflict