In 1935, Italy, governed by Mussolini’s fascist regime, invaded Ethiopia in order to strengthen its colonial empire in East Africa. Led by Emperor Haile Selassie (1892-1975), Ethiopian resistance was organized on military and diplomatic levels. In particular, Ethiopia adhered to the Geneva Convention of 1920 and created a National Society of the Red Cross which received support from members of the Movement of the same name. Mobilized to care for the wounded, the hospitals of religious missions established in the country were also neutralized by the Red Cross sign. This was the case for the American Adventist mission in Dessie, damaged when the town was bombed by the Italian air force in December 1935. Denounced by Selassie and the doctors working there, this attack testified to the asymmetry of the combat which opposed Ethiopian to Italian forces and to the brutality of the Italian army which did not hesitate to bomb civilians and hospitals or use chemical arms in this conflict. M. -L. Desgrandchamps