Siege of Saïo the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, proclaimed the colony of "Africa Orientale Italiana" (AOI, Italian East Africa), formed from Ethiopia (after the Italian victory in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, fought 3 October 1935 – May 1936) and the existing Italian possessions of Italian Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. On 10 June 1940, Mussolini declared war on Britain and France, which made Italian military forces in Libya a threat to Egypt and those in Italian East Africa a danger to the British and French colonies in East Africa. Italian belligerence also closed the Mediterranean to Allied merchant ships and endangered British supply routes
Third Italian War of Independence to Italy. The plebiscite was held on 21 and 22 October 1866, and the result was overwhelmingly in support of joining Italy. During this period, an uprising also occurred in Sicily, called The Seven and a Half Days Revolt. The unification of Italy was completed by the Capture of Rome and the annexation of Trentino, Friuli and Trieste at the end of First World War, also called in Italy the Fourth Italian War of Independence. Third Italian War of Independence The Third Italian War of Independence () was a war between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austrian Empire fought