# List of wars involving Ethiopia

This is a list of wars involving the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (modern-day Ethiopia) and its predecessor states.

## Ethiopian Empire (1270–1975)

| Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Results |
| Conquests of Amda Seyon I (1316–1332) | Ethiopia | Sultanate of Ifat Kingdom of Damot Hadiya Sultanate Sultanate of Dawaro Enderta Province Kingdom of Simien & more | Victories Incorporation of the southern kingdoms into the Ethiopian Empire Conquest of Dawaro Re-establishment of Imperial hegemony in Tigray Establishment of Imperial hegemony in Ifat Spread of Judaism in modern day Mi'irabawi halted |
| Reconquests of Sabr Ad Din (1415-1430) | Ethiopia | Adal Sultanate | Defeat Gidaya, Mora, Adal, and Hargaya incorporated into the Adal Sultanate |
| Badley ad-Din II's Invasion of Ethiopia (1445) | Ethiopia | Adal Sultanate | Victory Death of the Adal Sultan |
| Abyssinian–Adal War (1529–1543) | Ethiopia Portugal | Adal Sultanate Ottoman Empire | Stalemate Status quo ante bellum |
| Iyasu II's Invasion of Sennar (1738) | Ethiopia | Sennar Sultanate | Defeat Iyasu II's army defeated Several of the Ethiopian Emperor's valuables lost |
| Zemene Mesafint (1769–1855) | Various factions | Various factions | Reunification of Ethiopia Tewodros II becomes Emperor |
| Ottoman–Ethiopian border conflicts (1832–1848) | Ethiopia | Egypt | Victory Ethiopia retains territorial integrity and independence Ottoman-Egyptians expand south into the Great Lakes region Leads to the Egyptian-Ethiopian war |
| British Expedition to Abyssinia (1867–1868) | Ethiopia | United Kingdom | Defeat Tewodros II commits suicide to avoid capture |
| Ethiopian–Egyptian War (1874–1876) | Ethiopia | Egypt | Victory Egyptian Khedive defeated Collapse of Egyptian Khedivate |
| Mahdist War (1881–1889) | Ethiopian Empire  United Kingdom  Egypt  Italy | Mahdist state | Victory End of Mahdist raids into Ethiopia at the Battle of Gallabat Death of Emperor Yohannes IV End of the Mahdist war in 1889 |
| Italo-Ethiopian War of 1887–1889 | Ethiopia | Italy | Compromise Treaty of Wuchale; establishment of Italian Eritrea |
| Menelik's Expansions (Late 19th century) | Kingdom of Shewa Ethiopian Empire | Emirate of Harar Kingdom of Gojjam Mahdist Sudan Kingdom of Kaffa Kingdom of Jimma Kingdom of Wolaita Arsi Oromo | Victories Incorporation of the southern kingdoms into the Ethiopian Empire. Incorporation of the Oromo borderlands such as the Kingdom of Jimma, Qabesh, and Arsi Oromo into the Ethiopian Empire Incorporation of the Emirate of Harar and Ogaden region into the Ethiopian Empire Beginning of the Dervish war in response to Ethiopian expansion into the Ogaden Centralization of Ethiopia in Shewa Founding of Addis Ababa in 1897. |
| First Italo-Ethiopian War (1896) | Ethiopia | Italy | Victory Ethiopia retains independence Italians defeated |
| Dervish War (1900–1920) | Britain  Ethiopia  Italian Empire | Dervish State | Ethiopian allied victory Collapse of the Dervish State |
| Second Italo-Ethiopian War (1935–1937) | Ethiopia | Italy | Defeat Italian control over most of the Ethiopian Empire's former territory Establishment of Italian East Africa Beginning of Arbegnoch anti-fascist resistance |
| East African Campaign (1940–1941) | United Kingdom  Ethiopia  Belgian Congo  Free France | Italy | Ethiopian allied victory Fall of Italian East Africa Independence of Ethiopia |
| Woyane rebellion (1943) | Ethiopia Supported by: United Kingdom | Tigrayan rebels | Victory Revolt crushed |
| Korean War (1950–1953) | South Korea UNC  United States  United Kingdom  Canada  Turkey  Australia Ethiopia  Philippines  New Zealand  Thailand Greece  France  Colombia  Belgium  South Africa  Netherlands  Luxembourg | North Korea  China  Soviet Union | Stalemate The Korean Armistice Agreement |
| Congo Crisis (1960–1964) | Congo-Léopoldville ONUC  Ireland  Sweden  Norway  India  Nigeria  Ethiopia | Katanga  South Kasai | Victory Debellation of Congolese separatist states |
| Bale Revolt (1963–1970) | Ethiopia | Oromo and Somali rebels Somali Republic → Somalia | Victory Revolt crushed, peace agreement |
| 1964 Ethiopian–Somali War (1964) | Ethiopia | Somali Republic United Arab Republic | Stalemate Military offensive of Ethiopia repulsed, ceasefire agreement |

## Communist Ethiopia (1975–1991)

| Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Results |
| Eritrean War of Independence (1961–1991) | Derg and allies | ELF EPLF | Defeat Eritrean independence following referendum |
| Ogaden War (1977–1978) | Ethiopia  Cuba  Soviet Union  South Yemen | Somalia WSLF | Victory Somalia breaks all ties with the Soviet Bloc and the Second World (except China and Romania). Beginning of the Somali Rebellion |
| 1982 Ethiopian-Somali Border War (1982) | Derg and allies | Somali Democratic Republic Supported by: United States | Stalemate Ethiopian invasion halted Ethiopia occupies the border towns of Galdogob and Balanbale until 1988 United States delivers emergency military and humanitarian aid to Somalia to prevent further attacks by Ethiopia |
| Ethiopian Civil War (1974–1991) | PDRE | Ethiopian Empire EPRP EPLF TPLF MEISON ANDM EDUP OLF ONLF WSLF ALF | Regime change Fall of government, installation of new TPLF-led government, the EPRDF |

## Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (from 1995)

| Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Results |
| Insurgency in Ogaden (1995–2008) | Ethiopia | ONLF | Victory Military defeat of ONLF forces |
| Eritrean–Ethiopian War (1998–2000) | Ethiopia | Eritrea | Victory Algiers Agreement |
| Ethiopian occupation of Somalia (2006–2009) | Ethiopia TFG AMISOM Uganda Burundi Kenya Djibouti Sierra Leone | ICU OLF al-Shabaab | Victory Islamists withdrawal from Somalia Withdrawal of ENDF from Mogadishu and majority of Somalia (2009) |
| Oromia–Somali clashes (2016–present) | Ethiopia | Oromia Region Somali Region Tigray | Ongoing |
| OLA insurgency (2018–present) | Ethiopia | OLA | Ongoing |
| Benishangul-Gumuz conflict (2019–2022) | Ethiopia Amhara militias | Gumuz militias Gumuz Liberation Front Buadin OLA TPLF | Ongoing Majority of Metekel under the control of the ENDF and Amhara militias |
| Tigray War (2020–2022) | Ethiopia Eritrea | Tigray OLA (2021–22) | Peace agreement The government and the TPLF formally agreed to a cessation of hostilities and systematic, verifiable disarmament (2 November 2022) Second agreement for implementing the peace deal signed by both parties (12 November 2022) Federal authority in the Tigray Region is reestablished Interim Regional Administration of Tigray formed on 23 March 2023 Continued Eritrean military presence in Tigray as of 2023 Status of Tigray Region's Western Zone still disputed |
| 2020–21 Ethiopian–Sudanese clashes (2020–present) | Ethiopia Amhara militias | Sudan | Ongoing Most of the border recaptured by Sudan |
| War in Amhara (2023–present) | Ethiopia ENDF OLA | Fano | Ongoing |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Hassen, Mohammed. Oromo of Ethiopia with special emphasis on the Gibe region (PDF). University of London. p. 22.
* ↑ J. Spencer Trimingham, Islam in Ethiopia (Oxford: Geoffrey Cumberlege for the University Press, 1952), p. 75.
* ↑ E. A. Wallis Budge, A history of Ethiopia, pp. 307–308.
* ↑ Gikes, Patrick (2002). "Wars in the Horn of Africa and the dismantling of the Somali State". African Studies. 2. University of Lisbon: 89–102. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
* ↑ Sarkees, Meredith Reid; Wayman, Frank Whelon (2010). Resort to War: A Data Guide to Inter-State, Extra-state, Intra-State, and Non-State Wars, 1816–2007. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. p. 262. The conclusion of the war is coded as a compromise
* ↑ "Somalia profile – Timeline". BBC Africa. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
* ↑ "Onwar". Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
* ↑ Urban, Mark (1983). "Soviet intervention and the Ogaden counter-offensive of 1978". The RUSI Journal. 128 (2): 42–46. doi:10.1080/03071848308523524. ISSN 0307-1847. Soviet advisers fulfilled a number of roles, although the majority were involved in training and headquarters duties. Others flew combat missions in the MiGs and helicopters.
* ↑ "Ogaden Area recaptured by Ethiopian Forces with Soviet and Cuban Support – International Ramifications of Ethiopian-Somali Conflict – Incipient Soviet and Cuban Involvement in Ethiopian Warfare against Eritrean Secessionists – Political Assassinations inside Ethiopia". Keesing's Record of World Events (formerly Keesing's Contemporary Archives). 1 May 1978. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
* ↑ Gorman 1981, p. 208. sfn error: no target: CITEREFGorman1981 (help)
* ↑ "Somalia: Status of the Armed Forces" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. March 1982. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
* ↑ "Ethiopia: Fear Tigray conflict could trigger all-out war". DW. 20 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
* ↑ Endeshaw, Dawit (16 July 2021). "Three more regions reinforce Ethiopia army, Amhara against Tigray forces". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
* ↑ "Ethiopian PM confirms Eritrean troops entered Tigray during conflict". Reuters. 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021.
* ↑ "Eritrea confirms its troops are fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray". Al Jazeera. 17 April 2021. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
* ↑ Anna, Cara (11 August 2021). "Ethiopia armed group says it has alliance with Tigray forces". AP News. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
* ↑ "Leaked EU Diplomatic Cable: Delegation of the European Union to Ethiopia". Scoop. 25 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
* ↑ "African Union: Agreement reached on permanent cessation of hostilities in Ethiopia". National Post. 2 November 2022.
* ↑ Winning, Alexander; Cocks, Tim (2 November 2022). "Combatants in Ethiopia's Tigray war agree to stop fighting". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
* ↑ Feleke, Bethlehem (3 November 2022). "Warring parties in Ethiopia agree on 'permanent cessation of hostilities'". CNN World. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
* ↑ Mersie, Ayenat (12 November 2022). "Ethiopia combatants sign deal to start implementing truce". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
* ↑ "Ethiopia Truce Implementation to Start 'Immediately', Mediator Says". Asharq AL-awsat. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2022.