Balcha Safo
| Balcha Safo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1863 Chebo Midir, Ethiopia |
| Died | 1936 Guráge, Ethiopia |
| Allegiance |
 Ethiopian Empire
|
| Years of service | 1880s–1930s |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | First Italo-Ethiopian War, Second Italo-Ethiopian War |
Dejazmach Balcha Safo (Amharic: ባልቻ ሳፎ?; 1863 – 6 November 1936), popularly referred to by his "horse-name" Balcha Aba Nefso (Amharic: ባልቻ አባ ነፍሶ?), was an accomplished Ethiopian military commander, who served in both the First and Second Italo-Ethiopian Wars.
Although he came from a non-aristocratic background, he was made a dejazmach. Balcha also became a provincial Governor (Shum), and eventually became a key member of the conservative provincial elite who, in the 1920s, were often at odds with the modernising reforms and rising power of the Regent, Tafari Makonnen (later Emperor Haile Selassie I). Tafari would force Dejazmach Balcha into retirement, albeit an honourable one, in 1928, from which he would emerge in 1935 to fight the Fascist invaders, by whom he was killed in 1936.
Balcha was found on a battlefield in Gurageland after having been emasculated, which at the time was the usual fate of defeated soldiers. He came to the notice of Emperor Menelik II, who brought him back to Addis Ababa where Balcha was educated. Balcha is from an Oromo descent; 'Balcha' means 'taming, assimilating or making familiar with' in Afaan Oromo.
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Wikipedia