Asena Bega Sho

Ethiopian warrior and strategist who devised guerrilla tactics against Italian colonial forces during the 1935 invasion

Asena Bega Sho (1908-1982) was an Oromo freedom fighter whose innovative military strategies significantly disrupted Italy's colonial ambitions in Ethiopia. Born in Harar, she joined Emperor Haile Selassie's resistance movement during the 1935 Italian invasion, becoming one of the few female leaders in the Ethiopian War of Resistance.

Her most notable contribution was developing the 'shadow warfare' tactic, using knowledge of local terrain to create mobile units that harassed Italian supply lines. She organized women's detachments to gather intelligence and conduct sabotage missions, which cut off 30% of Italian ammunition supplies in 1936. Her innovative use of camels for nighttime raids became legendary among Ethiopian forces.

In 1940, she led the capture of the strategic Debre Libanos monastery, using its caves as a base for 1,500 resistance fighters. Post-independence, she trained Ethiopia's first female military unit and authored the Manual of Guerrilla Warfare Tactics (1952), still studied at Addis Ababa University's military academy. Her memoir Shadow of the Lion (1975) provides rare insights into female combat roles in African history.

Though less celebrated than male contemporaries, her tactics influenced later African liberation movements. A 2019 historical drama Asena's Shadow brought her story to screens, though it remains regionally focused. Ethiopia's National Resistance Museum features a permanent exhibit dedicated to her contributions.