Were Ethiopia and Liberia the Only African Nations to Avoid European Colonialism? No — Others Too

Ethiopia and Liberia are the most famous, but not the only ones.

Ethiopia

• Defeated Italy at Adwa (1896); recognized sovereignty.
• Occupied 1936–1941 (brief), but never fully colonized.

Liberia

• Founded by ACS; declared independence 1847; recognized by Europe.
• US influence heavy, but not colonial administration.

Other States That Avoided Formal Colonization

1. Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara): Spanish colony until 1975; then claimed by Morocco/Mauritania; SADR declared 1976 (AU member). Not colonized by Europe in Scramble era — Spanish Sahara was.
2. Somalia: British & Italian Somalilands → colonized. But the Dervish State (1899–1920) resisted. Not a clear "avoided."
3. Madagascar: Colonized by France (1896).

Correction

The original answer incorrectly listed SADR, Somalia, Madagascar as avoiding colonization. Only Ethiopia and Liberia unequivocally avoided European colonial rule during the Scramble (1881–1914).

• SADR: Spanish colony.
• Somalia: Partitioned British/Italian.
• Madagascar: French colony.

Nuance

• Egypt: Never formally colonized (British protectorate 1914–1922, occupation 1882).
• Morocco/Tunisia: Protectorates (not colonies) — but de facto controlled.

Strictly speaking: Ethiopia and Liberia are the only two African countries that maintained continuous sovereignty throughout the Scramble for Africa.