Balcha Safo

Balcha Safo (1863-1936) was an accomplished Ethiopian general, who served in both the First and Second Italo-Ethiopian Wars. He came from a non-aristocratic background.

Biography

Balcha was found on a battlefield in Gurageland after having been emasculated, which at the time was the usual fate of defeated soldiers. He came to the notice of Emperor Menilek II, who took pity on him, brought him back to Addis Ababa where Balcha was educated. [Paul B. Henze, "Layers of Time" (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 190 n. 8] He distinguished himself at the imperial court and showed particular skill in military exercises and theory. He made his reputation, according to oral tradition, in the Battle of Mek'ele, [Harold G. Marcus, "The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844-1913", (Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press, 1995), p. 166] and later at the Battle of Adwa (March 1 1896), and was rewarded with elevation to dejazmach.Haile Selassie I. "My Life and Ethiopia's Progress". Vol. 2, 1999, page 32.] After the death of Dejazmach Yilma in 1907, he became governor of Harar. Thereafter, he served as governor of Sidamo.

A conservative, who had been loyal to the memory of the deceased Emperor Menelik, Dejazmach Balcha was one of the leading nobles who challenged the growing power of the regent Ras Tafari (the later Emperor Haile Selassie). A blunt, old warrior, he did not trust the young Emperor, who was an advocate for modernizing Ethiopia. In a deft political maneuver, which has since been seen as an example of Haile Selassie's genius, in 1928 the Emperor invited the Dejazmach to the capital for a feast in Balcha Safo's honor. Dejazmach Balcha arrived 11 February with several thousand men, and spent the evening "generally insolent and threatening in conversation." [Harold G. Marcus, "Haile Sellassie I: the Formative Years", p. 89] The Dejazmach's lieutenants were made so nervous by the old man's misbehavior that they privately met with Ras Tafari to disavow any prior knowledge of his possible violent actions.

Meanwhile, the regent sent Ras Kassa Haile Darge to Balcha's camp, where he paid off the soldier Balcha had left there. At the same time the Emperor appointed Dejazmach Birru Wolde Gabriel to replace Balcha as governor of Sidamo. These simultaneous acts deprived Balcha of his ability to resist, a loss he discovered only after he returned to the camp. [Anthony Mockler, "Haile Selassie's War" (New York: Olive Branch, 2003), pp. 7f; Bahru Zewde, "A History of Modern Ethiopia", second edition (London: James Currey, 2001), pp. 132f.] After evaluating his limited options, on 21 February the Dejazmach humiliated himself before the regent. [Marcus, "Haile Sellassie", p. 90]

When Italy invaded in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, Balcha Safo came out of retirement to fight against the Italians. Major Mesfin Seleshi, an agent of the imperial government in exile who was coordinating resistance in occupied Ethiopia, writes of his fate in a letter to Haile Selassie I thus:

The enemy went as far as Gurage, where his Excellency Dejazmatch Balcha lives, and campaigned against him. The people betrayed him, and all his men were annihilated. He and two of his servants, three people all together, were surrounded. A white man came to him and asked, are you Dejazmatch Balcha? When he said yes I am, the white man said, surrender your arms, and untie your pistol [belt] . Dejazmatch Balcha said, 'I am not here to surrender my arms', and he killed the white man; then, he and his two servants died instantly without having much suffering. ["My Life and Ethiopia's Progress". Vol. 2, 1999, page 79.]

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