Southern Military Territory

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The Italian military administration of the Libyan Sahara.

Establishment

October 1912: On 18 October 1912, Italy and the Ottoman Empire signed the First Treaty of Lausanne, ending the Italo-Turkish War. The Ottoman Turks ceded the provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica to Italy. These provinces together formed what became known as Libya. The Dodecanese was not officially ceded but was never returned from Italy to Turkey.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Italo-Turkish War

Was a war beteen the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire caused by Italian colonial ambitions. It resulted in the Italian occupation of the Dodecanese and of the Libyan coast (the interior was nominally ceded to Italy but not under its control).

1.1.Treaty of Lausanne (1912)

Was the peace treaty that ended the Italo-Turkish War. The Ottoman Empire ceded Libya to Italy. The Dodecanese was not ceded by the Ottomans, but it was under Italian military occupation and was not given back.

2. World War I

Was a global conflict between two coalitions, the Allies (primarily France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States) and the Central Powers (led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire). It was mainly caused by the competition of the western countries over domain in Europe and in the rest of the world with their colonial empires. The war ended with the defeat of the Central Powers. The war also caused the Russian Revolution and the ensuing Russian Civil War.

2.1.World War I African Theatre

Was the African Theatre of World War I.

2.1.1.Senussi Campaign

The campaign was fought by the Kingdom of Italy and the British Empire during World War I against the Senussi, a religious order of Arabic nomads in Libya and Egypt.

January 1915: In December 1914 all the Italian military garrisons in Fezzan were abandoned, including that of Brak where the forces had been concentrated before the retreat.

2.1.1.1.Band of oases

Was the theatre of war in the oases during the Senussi campaign.

September 1914: Italian troops captured Ghat in August 1914.

January 1915: In 1914, the Senussi, led by Sayyid Ahmed al-Sharif, prompted an uprising in Ghat and Ghadames, forcing the Italians out of the territory. The Senussi were a religious and political movement in Libya, seeking independence from Italian colonial rule.

2.2.Aftermath of World War I

Were a series of treaties and military events that can be considered a direct consequence of World War I.

January 1920: The Kingdom of Italy at the 1919 Paris "Conference of Peace" received nothing from German colonies, but as a compensation Great Britain gave it the Oltre Giuba and France agreed to give some Saharan territories to Italian Libya.

3. Pacification of Libya

Was an Italian military campaign to conquer the interior of Libya after the creation of Italian Libya, which initially controlled only the coastal part of the region.

3.1.Italian operations in Fezzan

Were the Italian military operations to conquer Fezzan during the Pacification of Libya.

December 1929: Occupation of Brak by Italian forces.

December 1929: Italian Colonel Cubeddu's Eastern Column occupied Sebha.

January 1930: The Umm el Araneb oasis is occupied by Italian forces on 8 January.

January 1930: On January 13, the 1st Saharan group defeated the men of the Seif en Nasser brothers in the oasis of Uau el Kebir.

January 1930: Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta occupied the city of Murzuch.

February 1930: The reconquest operations in Fezzan ended on February 20 when the Italian troops reached the borders of French Chad.

4. Further events (Unrelated to Any War)

January 1932: The Kufra district was nominally attached to British-occupied Egypt until 1925, but in fact, remained a headquarters for the Senussi resistance until conquered by the Italians in 1931.