Migrant who was ‘symbol of integration’ slain

ROME: An Ethiopian migrant who became a symbol of integration in Italy, her adopted home, has been killed on her farm where she raised goats for her cheese business, police said yesterday.

A Ghanaian employee on her farm in Trentino has admitted to killing Agitu Ideo Gudeta, 42, with a hammer and raping her.

Gudeta had made her home in the mountains of Trentino’s Valle dei Mocheni, making goat’s cheese and beauty products on her farm La Capra Felice (The Happy Goat).

Her story was reported by numerous international media as an example of a migrant success story in Italy at a time of rising hostility towards immigrants, fuelled by the right-wing League party.

Gudeta escaped from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, in 2010 after her participation in protests against land-grabbing angered local authorities. On reaching Italy, she used common land in the northern mountains to build her new enterprise, taking advantage of permits that give farmers access to public land. Starting off with 15 goats, she had 180 by 2018 when she became a well-known figure.