⸻ Adwa and the Oromo: Power, Participation, and Historical Recognition Introduction On 1 March 1896, the Battle of Adwa became one of the most decisive anti-colonial victories in modern history. The defeat of the Italian army preserved Ethiopia’s sovereignty and sent a powerful message across Africa and the wider world: European expansion was not unstoppable. Adwa is often remembered through a simplified national narrative, frequently centered on Emperor Menelik II. Yet the victory was achieved

Wanted by the Ethiopian government, rebel military leader Jaal Marroo moves constantly to stay ahead of drones hunting him from the skies. The rebel commander leads the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) from a series of remote forest outpost in Oromia, the country’s biggest region with a population of roughly 40 million people. | AP