Battle of Wofla

Part of Ethiopian–Adal war and Somali-Portuguese conflicts

Date	August 28, 1542
Location	Modern day Ofla, Ethiopia
Result	Adal-Ottoman victory

Belligerents

Commanders and leaders

Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi

Cristóvão da Gama

Strength

2900 arquebusiers (2000 from Arabia and 900 Turks)^[1]

400 Portuguese arquebusiers ^[2]

Casualties and losses

Unknown

200 killed^[3]
50 missing^[4]

v t e Ethiopian–Adal War
Shimbra Kure Antukyah Zari Amba Sel Bali Saraye Sahart Baçente Jarte Hill of the Jews Wofla Wayna Daga

v t e Ottoman–Portuguese conflicts (1538–1560)
1st Diu Suakin El Tor Suez Jeddah Jarte Wofla Wayna Daga Aden Bab el Mandeb Qatif Muscat Hormuz Velez Strait of Hormuz Oman Gulf 2nd Diu Mocha Bahrain Kamaran

The Battle of Wofla was fought on August 28, 1542 near Lake Ashenge in Wofla (Ofla) between the Portuguese under Cristóvão da Gama and the forces of Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi. Reinforced with a superiority not only in numbers but in firearms, Imam Ahmad was victorious and forced the Portuguese, along with Queen Seble Wongel and her retinue, to flee their fortified encampment and leave their weapons behind.

While fleeing the battlefield with 14 soldiers, Cristóvão da Gama, with his arm broken from a bullet, was captured that night by followers of Imam Ahmad, who had been led into the brush they had taken refuge in by an old woman.^[5] However other accounts state Gama had stayed behind to look for a woman he had captured at the Battle of the Hill of the Jews with whom he became infatuated.^[6] Nonetheless, he was then brought into the presence of the Imam Ahmad, who tortured and executed his captured opponent.^[7]

A disagreement occurred between Ahmed Gragn and his Ottoman musketeers at this point of victory on handling the Portuguese captured in the battle. The Ottomans wanted to use these prisoners as a negotiating tool in their ongoing talks with Lisbon, therefore they made the following demands that they are delivered unharmed into the care of Yemeni provincial officials. However, Ahmed Gragn turned down this please and killed him with his own hands just hours after capturing da Gama, Furious, the Ottoman commander deserted Ahmed and headed back to Yemen with the majority of his forces.^[8]

Following the death of Cristóvão da Gama and the majority of his soldiers being either captured or slain, the Portuguese were hesitant to make any investments in the area thus making the Adal Sultanate remain as the major power in the Horn of Africa region.^[9]

References