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OSSERVATORIO INTERNAZIONALE

the colony, had maintained relationships of trust and collaboration with Kabyle
leaders able to guarantee reliability. But the system, of course, was not without
drawbacks, when the reports became too many and heterogeneous or the kabile
could put forward their own “candidacies”. Therefore, the letter with which, on
September 20, 1950, General Ferrara invited all officers not to send potential
recruits to the Somali units with a letter of recommendation, but to directly
send him elements of evaluation that could better inform the selection pro-
cess .
(14)
However, these concerns came, as mentioned above, from various direc-
tions: from the Personnel Office of the AFIS , the Advisory Council of the
(15)
ONU for the AFIS and the still operating MAI (Ministry for Italian Africa).
(16)
Beyond these issues which, however important, may depict the scenario and
were incidental, the main problem was to ensure a structure that was as repre-
sentative as possible with enlistments that would promote the amalgamation
among clans. The political-administrative directives were clear and briefly sum-
marized in the encrypted telegram sent by the Administrator Fornari to the
civilian and military authorities as early as August 8, 1950: “I reiterate my pre-
vious written and verbal directives about the need for all Authorities and
Italians to treat Somalis without discrimination and distinction of race and poli-
tical orientation. In particular, Authorities and Military and Civil Offices should
always regulate Somalian personal recruitments and enlistments, following the
same orientation criterion using equal shares of Darod Awiya Sab and other
races, which can be waived only for ilalo and specialists. I kindly ask all Bodies
in address to send me personal numerical statistics referring to Somalis curren-
tly in force indicating Cabila, service, category and rank” , which followed
(17)
note no. 21092 of the previous 10 June, concerning “ethnographic proportions
about the enlistments made so far”“, with which the Administrator indicated
that “the proportion to be observed for enlistments in Somalia for the future

(14) Circolare n. 01/4709 di prot. datata 20 settembre 1950 del CSS - SM - Uff. OAO diretta a
comandi subordinati, avente ad oggetto “arruolamenti nei reparti somali”, AUSSME, f. I-2,
Busta 37, fasc. 397.
(15) Appunto indirizzato dal Dott. Gennaro Leandro al Magg. Conti per l’arruolamento dell’ex
ascari Mohammed Abdulla Hagi Aliò in data 28 dicembre 1950, AUSSME, f. 2, Busta 37,
fasc. 401.
(16) Appunto indirizzato al Magg. Dante Guerra in data 22 novembre 1950, dal funzionario agli
affari politici del Consiglio Consultivo, dott. Jan Schumacher, per l’arruolamento del suo boy
(ovvero “domestico”), in cui palesa l’opportunità di operare pressioni anche sul superiore del
destinatario per ottenere quanto richiesto, ibidem.
(17) Telegramma n. 110140 di prot. dell’AFIS - Uff. affari Interni - Sez. III a Commissariati e resi-
denze civili e uffici centrali civili e militari, datato 8 agosto 1950, AUSSME, f. I-2, Busta 37,
fasc. 402.

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