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The Woyane rebellion () was an uprising in the Tigray Province, Ethiopian Empire against the centralization process from the government of Emperor Haile Selassie which took place in May–November 1943. The rebels called themselves
the Woyane, a name borrowed from a game played locally between competing groups of young men from different villages, which connoted a spirit of resistance and unity. After nearly succeeding in overrunning the whole province, the rebels were defeated with the support of aircraft from the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force.http://www.jstor.org/stable/181225 Killingray, David. “'A Swift Agent of Government'
Aregawi Berhe, 2004. The Origins of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. African Affairs, 103/413, 569—592. Accessed 16 July 2021. Out of all the rebellions that engulfed Ethiopia during Haile Selassie's rule, this was the most serious internal threat that he faced.
The Woyane uprising in Tigray seems to have arisen when administrative corruption and greed ignited a situation of existing instability and insecurity, one awash with weaponry in the wake of the Italian defeat.Sarah Vaughan, "Ethnicity and Power", p. 126. Tigrayan regional particularism and pride primarily motivated the rebellion. Separatism as such played no part. The Tigrayan rebels considered themselves as good Ethiopians as the Shewa, whose domination they resented. In the rebellion, traditional conservative religious orthodoxy predominated and Muslims joined the Christians. The early history of Tigray is viewed as a source of pride by the Christians and Muslims alike since it embodies the common mythos of their existence beyond religion. It is seen as the force which held them together as a people of one origin long before Christianity or Islam were introduced. The rebellion was local. It drew on no outside inspiration, either material or ideological. It had a much longer-lasting effect than a supposed ethnopolitical movement due to a complex blend of social protest and resentful regionalism. In many ways, Woyane was an aborted class struggle and an aborted attempt at regional autonomy. One can immediately see that these are similar to the roots of the TPLF insurrection of the 1970s, which has at times been rightly called ‘‘a second Woyane.’’
The rebels established their headquarters at Wukro. During the rainy season of 1943, the rebels under the leadership of Fitawrari Yeebio Woldai and Dejazmach Neguise Bezabih, hailing from Enderta province,Mamoka Maki, The wayyane in Tigray and the reconstruction of the Ethiopia government in the 1940s, In: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, ed. by Svein Ege, Harald Aspen, Birhanu Teferra and Shiferaw Bekele, Trondheim 2009, p.5. which was the heart of the Woyane rebellion,Mamoka Maki, The wayyane in Tigray and the reconstruction of the Ethiopia government in the 1940s, In: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, ed. by Svein Ege, Harald Aspen, Birhanu Teferra and Shiferaw Bekele, Trondheim 2009, p.6. were busy organizing their forces; and after celebrating the Ethiopian New Year on 12 September, they went on the besieged government garrison at Quiha. The highly equipped government forces were to meet with the poorly equipped but determined rebels' for the first time in the rebel's stronghold district of Didiba Dergiajen, Enderta in the village of Sergien; the rebels under Fitawrari Yeebio Woldai (Wedi Weldai) and Dej. Neguisie Bezabih defeated the government forces decisively; they captured countless modern weapons that helped them attract many peasants to join the rebellion, and many government soldiers deserted and joined the rebellion. In September 1943, on the government's second offensive in the village of Ara, also in Enderta, the Woyane rebels under Wedi Woldai scored yet a second victory over the heavily armed government forces; this time, however, the rebels captured high level feudal chiefs including and killed many prominent Tigray and Amhara warlords that sided with the Emperor Haile Selassie's government. The rebels under Bashay Gugsa Mengesha also captured General Essaias and many of his commanders and imperial soldiers at Quiha. The rebel forces estimated at 20,000, moved eastward from Quiha to Enda Yesus, a fort overlooking the provincial capital, Mekelle. They captured the fort and then took Mekelle. The representatives of Haile Selassie's government fled. The Woyane issued a proclamation to the inhabitants of Mekelle which stated, among other things: "Our governor is Jesus Christ... And our flag that of Ethiopia. Our religion is that of Yohannes IV. People of Tigray, follow the motto of Weyane."
A similar victory was achieved by the rebels under the top leaders of the Woyane movement namely Dejazmach Negussie Bezabih and Bashay Gugsa Mengesha again in the district of Hintalo and Wajerat in Enderta; the rebels defeated the heavily armed government forces numbering in thousands and aided by the Royal Air Force (RAF), and were able to capture and acquire yet again heavy modern armaments. By 20 September the successful Woyane rebel army was ready to turn south to face an Ethiopian force attempting to advance to Tigray. Haile Selassie had ordered his minister of war Ras Abebe Aregai, to take charge of the campaign against the rebels. The Ras rushed northward and arrived at Korem, south of Maichew, on 17 September but his way was blocked by rebels. During the next three weeks, the Weyane forces fought hard against Ras Abebe's Ethiopian troops, who were bolstered by a small contingent of British officer.Rebels and Separatists in Ethiopia, Regional Resistance to a Marxist Regime by Paul Henze, Rand corporation-- prepared for the office of the under secretary of defense for policy, p. 42, December 1985. The fighting centered on the great natural fortress of Amba Alaji. Basha Gugusa, one of the first Woyane leaders, led the battle of Amba Alage in September 1943 to victory over the Imperial army which was well equipped and supported by RAF planes. The Woyane forces outnumbered those of the government, but their advantage in numbers was offset by artillery and RAF support.
The Woyane leaders precipitated the final decisive battle by launching a three-pronged attack on government positions with perhaps 10,000 men. The war is spread to Alaje in Raya, Wukro in Kilte Awlalo, and Tembien whereby the rebels mostly peasants beat the huge government forces equipped with tanks and modern weapons led by Ras Abebe Aregai, General Abebe Damtew, and aided by British Colonel Pluck. The total annihilation of government forces heavily supported by the RAF sent a signal to the Emperor, that "the Tigrayans weren't only brave fighters but also astute strategists" said Hailemariam when he gave an interview to Wegahta magazine.Blata Hailemariam Reda, Wegahta Magazine, Nos. 1, 2, and 4, 1993. During the battle, Pluck was killed by a Woyane rebel. The inability to subdue the rebellion prompted the emperor to authorize an aerial bombardment by RAF bomber squadrons based in Aden which were able to operate a number of Bristol Blenheim's. On 6 October 1943, fourteen bombs and eight days later fifty-four bombs were dropped in the provincial capital Mekelle respectively. On 7 October, sixteen bombs and two days later thirty-two bombs were dropped in Corbetta Raya and Hintalo Enderta respectively as well, around 70 people were killed and 200 were wounded. Although the rebels scattered and battle formations began to disintegrate on 7 October, uncertainty still affected the Ethiopian government forces and Ras Abebe did not personally move out of Korem until 9 October. He then moved systematically northward and entered Quiha and Mekelle on 14 October, capturing the erstwhile rebel headquarters at Wokro on 17 October.
Although the Woyane rebellion of 1943 had shortcomings as a prototype revolution, historians however agree that the Woyane rebellion had involved a fairly high level of spontaneity and peasant initiative.Gebru Tareke, Ethiopia: Power and Protest, p. 121. It demonstrated considerable popular participation and reflected widely shared grievances. The uprising was unequivocally and specifically directed against the central Shoan Amhara regime of Haile Selassie I, rather than the Tigrayan imperial elite.Gebru Tareke, Ethiopia: Power and Protest, p. 122.
In that context, the Woyane rebellion that is the subject of this article is called Old Woyane or First Woyane (ቀዳማይ ወያነ).
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