Bashah Aboye[note 1] (born circa 1850 - died 1 March 1896) horse name: Abba Däffar, was a distinguished Ethiopian military commander under Emperor Menelik II, and governor of several former principalities and regions in the south.
His father was Meridazmach Aboye, who was appointed by Emperor Tewodros II as the imperial viceroy (governor) in Shewa.
He appeared first in historical sources as a distinguished horse-man and skilled fighter in the clashes between the armies of Yohannes IV and Menelik II in 1877.
In October of that year, he was promoted to the rank of Dejazmach and appointed as governor of Gomma and Gera principalities with orders to pacify the region and collect taxes.
[note 2] In 1897, a year after Bashah's death, his younger brother Welde Giyorgis Aboye would become the conqueror that defeated the kingdom of Kaffa.
[1][5][9] Dejazmach Bashah Aboye alongside Ras Makonnen Wolde Mikael, Fitawrari Gebeyehu and the ‘Tabanĝā Yāž’[note 3] led the central front of Emperor Menelik II army during the First Italo-Ethiopian War.