The commemoration ceremony for the fallen soldiers at the Italian Military Cemetery in Asmara took place this morning, November 4, the Day of National Unity and the Armed Forces.
Ambassador Alfonso Di Riso – accompanied by a representative of the Eritrean Armed Forces, Col. Gherezghier Mahari, and officials from the Embassy – laid a wreath at the monumental altar dedicated to the Italian Fallen, as well as at the monument dedicated to the Eritrean Fallen, to the sound of the national anthems of the two countries. The commemoration was also attended by compatriots, some of them already members of our Armed Forces, who came to visit –as per tradition – specifically from Italy.
There are 772 Italian soldiers who fell between 1890 and 1950 buried in the Asmara Cemetery, while in total there are almost 5,000 remains of our fallen preserved in cemeteries and shrines throughout Eritrea: Asmara, Massawa, Dogali, Cheren and Adi Quala, whose maintenance and custody are carried out by the Italian Embassy in Asmara with funds allocated by the Ministry of Defence.
