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Ifat and Ethiopia Conflict

Type Event Region Horn of Africa Time 1371–1380

In the 1370s, border clashes continued between Muslim Ifat and Christian Solomonic Ethiopia;…

Timeline

  1. 1371–1372Eastern edge of the Shawa highlands · EthiopiaIn the final years of Emperor Newaya Christos's reign, cavalry of the Ifat Sultanate raided villages and trade routes on the eastern Shawa frontier. The emperor organized a coalition of feudal lords to counterattack but failed to eliminate Ifat's remaining forces, leaving the two sides in a stalemate.
  2. 1372–1375Ifat · EthiopiaAfter Newaya Maryam acceded in 1372, he continued campaigning against Ifat, and the two sides fought a war of attrition in the Afar lowlands. The sultan of Ifat launched raids during the dry season, while the Ethiopian army relied on highland strongpoints and rainy-season supplies to hold the line.
  3. 1376–1380Afar frontier · EthiopiaIn the later 1370s neither side won a decisive victory; Ifat remained independent and controlled parts of the inland Red Sea trade routes. The long-standing Christian-Islamic standoff in the Horn of Africa continued, laying the groundwork for Sa'ad ad-Din II's large-scale jihad expeditions in the 15th century.

Sources