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
British diaspora in Africa British diaspora in Africa The British diaspora in Africa is a population group broadly defined as English-speaking white Africans of mainly (but not only) British descent who live in or come from Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority live in South Africa and other Southern African countries including Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia), Namibia (South West Africa), Botswana (Bechuanaland Protectorate), Zambia (Northern Rhodesia), Lesotho (Basutoland) and Swaziland (Formerly under British rule). There are also sizable numbers in Kenya (Kenya Colony), Nigeria (British Nigeria) and Ghana (Gold Coast Colony). Their first language is usually English. The majority of white Africans who speak English as a