The Nocra prison camp was an Italian concentration camp on the island of Nocra, off the coast of Massawa, in Italian colony of Eritrea, that was used to intern freedom fighters. The camp played a significant role in Italy’s efforts to suppress opposition during and after the Second Italo-Abyssinian War (1935–1936).
The Second Italo-Abyssinian War was a war of aggression waged by Italy against Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. Italy, seeking to expand its colonial empire, invaded Ethiopia in October 1935. Despite resistance from Ethiopian forces, Italy employed modern weaponry, including chemical warfare, to crush opposition. By May 1936, Mussolini declared Ethiopia part of Italian East Africa, which also included Eritrea and Somalia.
While Italy succeeded in occupying Ethiopia, resistance continued in the form of guerrilla warfare. Ethiopian patriots, known as arbegnoch (freedom fighters), fought relentlessly against the Italian occupiers.
To suppress this resistance, the Italian administration adopted increasingly repressive measures. These included mass arrests, executions, and the use of prison camps like Nocra to neutralize opposition.
Described by Italian historian Angelo Del Boca as an “extermination camp“, Nocra was an ideal location for an internment camp. Its location on an island ensured that detainees were cut off from support networks and posed little threat to the colonial administration. The camp which housed over 1000 prisoners, was designed to hold political prisoners, independence fighters and resistors seen as threats to the Fascist regime.
Prisoners sent to Nocra included Ethiopian and Eritrean nationalists, intellectuals, and community leaders. Coptic clergies who had supported indigenous resistance to Italian colonisation were also sent to the camp. Some were accompanied by their families, who endured the same harsh conditions.
Life in the camp was characterized by extreme deprivation. The harsh climate of the island, with its searing heat and arid conditions, made survival difficult. Prisoners faced inadequate food supplies, poor sanitation, and a lack of medical care, leading to widespread suffering and death.
The psychological toll was equally severe. Isolated from their homeland and communities, prisoners lived under constant surveillance and harsh disciplinary measures. For many, Nocra became a place of despair, with little hope of release.
Nocra prison camp remained operational even after the official end of the Italo-Abyssinian war in 1936. However, its existence was cut short in 1941 when British forces occupied the island after the Battle of Keren during the East African Campaign of the Second World War. This battle marked a turning point in the East African Campaign, leading to the liberation of Ethiopia and the collapse of Italian East Africa.
The liberation of Nocra’s prisoners symbolized the end of a dark era. However, for many survivors, the trauma of their imprisonment left lasting scars.
