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- As part of the Italian colonial military, almost 4000 Eritrean Askaris were constantly kept in Libya, 800 in Somalia, 6606 Eritreans fought in Adwa against Ethiopia.
- In all the Italian African wars, Eritreans were used as gun fodder and considered as expendable animals.
-During the 1935 to 1936 war with Ethiopia, the Italians forced their Eritrean troops to bury dead Italians but not their own dead brothers.
-As punishment for any offence, the Italians were lashing their Eritrean troops any number up to 150 lashes. And after the lashing, the lashed person had to salute the Italian who supervised the lashing.
-The Eritrean Asker (means servant in Turkish) had to cook his food and to walk bare-footed unlike his Somali comrade, who had shoes, who was not lashed for any offence and who got cooked food. This because, the first Somali who was lashed by the Italians, had killed the Italian who supervised the lashing.
- Italians introduced the practice of devide and rule policy between Orthodox Christians and Muslims. They gave the Muslims, who until then had almost no power in Kebesa, more power. They tried to set the people off one against the other, thus, consolidating their grip on Eritrea.
- The schools were segregated. The Italians educated the Eritrean children in separate schools from other Italian children, and the Eritrean children were made to be propagandists for Italian history and culture.
- Education for Eritreans were only limited to 4th grade. Italy practiced a policy of keeping the belly of the Eritreans full and their head empty.
-Similarly, the Italians did not teach Eritreans any handicraft.
- Public places were segregated. The motto of the Italians was. "We don't want white and blacks mixed in one room". This slogan was displayed on the wall in public places in Asmara and other cities.
-Eritreans were not allowed to enter into any public place exclusively reserved for Italians, such as cinemas, bars restaurants, hotels and hospitals.
-In busses, Eritrans were restricted to the back seats.
-Any Eritrean who dared to ask for water, coffee or tea in an Italian bar/coffee shop, was directed to the back-door where he was served in tomato paste tin can, at times just emptied and with the remains of the salsa in it. Yet the price was the same for the coffee either served in the tin can or in a proper cup.
-Restaurants and hospitals were strictly segregated also. In fact by 1937, an apartheid system similar to that of South Africa was introduced.
- Bt 1937, Italians had devided Eritrea in 3 zones. The first and the best area exclusively reserved for Italians. The 2nd reserved for agro-industry, while the 3rd one (not suitable for European living) was left to Eritreans, for them to live and farm in.
-Inter-racial marriages/unions were forbidden and anybody violating this law heavily penalized, the union is then rendered null and void, and the children born from the union were not to be recognized by the Italian father.
- Trade licenses were issued only to Eritrean Moslems, Arabs and non-Orthodox Christians.
- In 1950s to mid 1970s, Eritreans workers were paid low wages by Italians who had industries in Eritrea while Ethiopians working at the same place were paid more. Eritreans were being looked down by the Italians even many years after colonization.
- When an Italian with a business left Eritrea for good, he/she sold his business to other Italians whenever he/she could, only as a last option to an Eritrean.
-Italians, including those born from Eritrean mothers, were made by the authorities to speak Italian to Eritreans as a matter of policy, intentionally trying to corrupt the Eritrean languages and perpetuate Italian culture.
Gemini