The news of the partition of Italian East Africa sent shockwaves through Italy, startling the nation like a bolt from the blue.
East African Colony was one of Italy's most important colonies, and also one of the few major colonies Italy possessed in Africa and the world at large.
With the loss of the East African Colony, Libya was all that remained of Italy's large colonial possessions.
Libya is located along the Mediterranean coast and faces the Italian mainland across the sea.
Compared to the East African Colony, Italy placed more value on this part of the Ingra Mediterranean colonies.
To defend the Libyan Colony, Italy announced it would reinforce the colony with 300,000 troops, and also dispatched a number of airplanes and tanks to Libya.
Even though Italy had reinforced the defense of the Libyan Colony, it had clearly underestimated the ambitions of Britain, France, and Australia to seize Libya.