Siege of Saïo
The siege of Saïo or battle of Saïo took place during the East African Campaign of World War II. Belgo-Congolese troops, British Commonwealth forces and local resistance fighters besieged the fort at the market town of Saïo in south-western Ethiopia in 1941. The siege lasted for several months, culminating in an Allied attack on the Italian garrison thereby forcing it to surrender.
| Siege of Saïo | |||||||||
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| Part of the East African Campaign of World War II | |||||||||
Belgian officers with captured Italian artillery, following the battle | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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British Empire South Africa | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
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Belgium: c. 3,000 troops 2,000 porters British Empire: 1 battalion Ethiopian Empire: Unknown number of resistance fighters South Africa: 3 aircraft |
7,000–8,000 troops Unknown number of aircraft | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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Belgium: 462 dead |
c. 1,200 dead 6,454 captured | ||||||||
Saïo Location within Ethiopia | |||||||||
In the first months of 1941, British and Belgian colonial forces attacked Italian East Africa from the colony of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. By the end of March, they had seized the town of Gambela and begun containing retreating Italian forces, which were massing on a plateau in the mountain town of Saïo (presently Dembidolo) under the command of General Carlo De Simone and later General Pietro Gazzera. The British forces withdrew the following month (to start an offensive in Western Ethiopia) and the Belgians advanced down the road to Saïo. The Italians repelled them and they were forced to hold their positions along a nearby brook. Almost no fighting took place in May as heavy rain bogged down the Belgians and turned their supply line from Sudan into mud, creating a food shortage. In early June, reinforcements arrived via river and the Belgians besieged the Italian supply depot at Mogi. Aggressive patrols, combined with the actions of the Ethiopian resistance and raids from the South African Air Force put increased pressure upon the Italian garrison.
At the end of the month General Auguste Gilliaert took charge of the Belgian force. He was instructed by the British to attack when an opportunity presented itself. On 3 July, he assaulted the base of Saïo Mountain and in the afternoon Gazzera sued for peace. On 6 July, the Belgians formally accepted the surrender of Gazzera, eight of his generals and over 6,000 Italian soldiers.