MILITARY RULE

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 137, 6 March 1941, Page 7

MILITARY RULE

Occupied Territory In East Africa PROCLAMATION MADE (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) LONDON, March 4. After the victories of the Imperial forces in East Africa, tiie territories formerly occupied and claimed by the Italian Government in Ethiopia and Somaliland have been placed under the military jurisdiction of Lieutenant-General Cunningham, General Officer Com* manding the British Forces in East Africa. General Cunningham has issued a proclamation giving warning that action against the public peace or the British forces in these territories will be punishable by death or a lesser penalty. “So long as the inhabitants of these territories remain peacable and comply with my orders they will be subject to no more Interference than I consider essential to the performance of my duties, and they need have no fear,” the proclamation stated. The government of the occupied territories, it is stated, is to be carried out largely by former East African administrators, who have been given military rank. The friendly attitude of the natives facilitated the occupation. One of the chief problems of the British occupation is stated to be the protection of the Italian population from the vengeance of the people of the colonies they formerly ruled. Progress Made. A Cairo headquarters communique states: “In Eritrea and Abyssinia operations continue to develop well. In Italian Somaliland our main advance is progressing satisfactorily. Meanwhile subsidiary operations are continuing toward the south-east frontier of Abyssinia, where on March 1 a further 1000 prisoners were taken.”

Further details of the campaign in Italian Somaliland are contained in an official statement issued at Nairobi, which says: “The British Imperial advance is continuing, Isica Baidoer and Bumo Burti having been occupied, Large stocks of arms, petrol, foodstuffs and stores of all types continue to be discovered, and it will take some considerable time to finish the count of all the material captured. The total of prisoners is now approaching the 10,000 mark.

“These captures and the destruction of enemy formations in the River Juba area give the lie to a statement by the Italians that Italian Somali land has been voluntarily evacuated.’

In Italian East Africa continued support has been given to our advancing troops by the R.A.F. The fort Burye has been heavily bombed and enemy positions machine-gunned. The landing ground at Asmara was machine-gunned by fighter aircraft of a South African squadron, and several enemy aircraft were damaged. On the return journey enemy motor transport. was attacked and several vehicles were set on fire. Bombers of the South African An Force attacked fortified positions north of Yavell and near Cabata, on the Sudan-Abyssinian border. Pilots reported that natives at Lugl> Ferrandi, in Italian Somaliland, were walking about carrying white flags From all these operations the British aircraft returned safely.

It is stated officially from Cairo that enemy aircraft raided the Suez Canal area last night. Some bombs were dropped, but there were no casualties or damage. The official German news agency an encounter between British forces and an advanced German reconnaissance patrol in the Libyan coastal area. It adds that the Germans took some prisoners and captured a British armoured observation car.

ADVANCES CONTINUE

Large Numbers Taken

Prisoner LONDON, March 5. The British advances in Africa continue. A. communique issued in Nairobi reports the capture of three further points in Italian Somaliland and large stocks of -arms, petrol and stores.

Prisoners captured in Somaliland now total approximately 16,000. It is officially stated in Cairo that the British took 133,205 prisoners in 62 days in the Libyan campaign, comparable with the British capture of 130,476 Germans in 63 days in the last months of the last war.

Italian guns captured at Cyrenaica total well over 1200.

A military spokesman declared that the immediate problem of Free French victors at Kufra is the disposal of 1000 prisoners. It would be a difficult task to transport them across the desert ; therefore they will possibly be disarmed and released at Kufra. According to a Bombay message, the arrival of 6700 Italian prisoners brings the total in India to more than 32,000. Yesterday’s Nairobi communique says that between February 12 and 22 the East African forces lost 16 killed, 70 wounded and two missing, and the South African forces 24 killed and 76 wounded. During this time our troops made the difficult crossing of the Juba River.