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How was Ethiopia liberated from Italian occupation during World War II?

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Ethiopia’s liberation from Italian occupation during World War II was achieved through a combination of internal resistance and a coordinated military campaign led by the United Kingdom.

Following the Italian invasion and the subsequent exile of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1936, Ethiopia was incorporated into Italian East Africa. Throughout the five-year occupation, Ethiopian patriots maintained persistent resistance, harassing Italian forces and testing garrison towns.12

When Italy entered World War II in June 1940, the United Kingdom recognized Haile Selassie as a formal ally. The Emperor traveled to Khartoum, Sudan, to assist in training a British-led Ethiopian army. This joint force launched an offensive, entering Gojam on January 20, 1941. Encountering an Italian military that was quick to surrender, the forces advanced rapidly, and the Emperor made a triumphant return to Addis Ababa on May 5, 1941. By November 1941, British forces had successfully overrun the remaining Italian positions in the region.132