Battle of Serobeti facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Serobeti |
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| Part of the Mahdist War | |||||||
 Ufficiali italiani in Africa (1885) by Quinto Cenni |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Italy |
 Mahdist State |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Stefano Hidalgo Michele Spreafico |
Ibrahim Massamil Ibrahim Faragiallah |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 120 ascari and about 200 warriors of the Baria tribe | 1,000 Infantry 100 cavalry |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 3 killed and 10 wounded | 100 dead and wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Serobeti happened on June 26, 1892. It was a fight between Italy and the Mahdist State. About one thousand Mahdist warriors entered Italian Eritrea. An Italian-led force pushed them back. This force included 120 ascari soldiers and 200 warriors from the Baria tribe.
Italy lost three soldiers and had ten wounded. The Mahdists had about one hundred killed or wounded. Experts say the Mahdists lost because their weapons were not as good. They also did not fight as well as the Italian-led forces. This was similar to an earlier battle, the First Battle of Agordat in 1890.
Why the Battle Happened
The First Battle of Agordat made the followers of Muhammad Ahmad more careful. The leader of Cassala had promised to get revenge for that battle. But he only made a few small attacks. He did not start a big fight for a while.
Meanwhile, the Italians took over Agordat. They built a fort there to protect it. They also put a company of askari soldiers in the fort. The Italian win at Agordat helped them trade more with Sudan. It took about two years before Italy and the Mahdists fought a major battle again. This next big fight happened on June 16, 1892.
The Battle of Serobeti
The Mahdists started their attacks again in June 1892. They moved along the Barka River to raid villages. On June 16, Italian forces met a group of Mahdists. Captain Stefano Hidalgo and Lieutenant Michele Spreafico led the Italian forces. Emir Ibrahim Massamil and Ibrahim Faragiallah led the Mahdists.
They met on the Serobeti plain, near the Mogoreb stream. The Italians had 300 men. The Mahdists had about 900. Even though the Mahdists had more soldiers and were in a good position, Captain Hidalgo attacked. His forces quickly defeated the Mahdists in less than two hours.
The Italian forces killed about 40 Mahdists. They also captured at least one hundred prisoners. They took six flags, many weapons, and all the grain and animals the enemy had stolen. These stolen goods were from villages along the Barka River. These villages were allies of the Italians and the Askari.
Captain Hidalgo received a special award for his actions at Serobeti. He got the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Savoy. He also received praise from the Ministers of War and Foreign Affairs, Benedetto Brin. Ibrahim Faragiallah had also lost a battle to Captain Gustavo Fara before this.
