He is known for coordinating his Shewa Oromo army with the central army of Menelik II, who later became Ethiopian Emperor, to incorporate more lands into the Ethiopian Empire in the late 19th century.
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On 14 October 1888, the allied forces of Ras Gobena and Moroda Bekere defeated the Mahdist Sudanese invasion of the Welega Oromo at the Battle of Guté Dili.
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In addition to Gobena's actions, other northern Oromo militias, Tigrayan rebellion, and the constant incursion of Ottoman Empire and Egyptian forces near the Red Sea weakened and contributed to the downfall of Emperor Tewodros II who died after his last battle with a British expeditionary force.
The Battle of Guté Dili was fought on 14 October 1888 between an alliance of the Shewan forces of Ras Gobana Dacche and the Oromo ruler of Leqa Naqamte, Moroda Bekere, and Mahdist forces under governor Khalil al-Khuzani near Nejo in the modern Mirab Welega Zone of the Oromia Region.