Ethiopia and Somalia

Lord Purvis of Tweed Excerpts
Monday 7th October 2024

(2 months, 1 week ago)

Lords Chamber
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Baroness Chapman of Darlington Portrait Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
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That is absolutely right. It is one of the key reasons why we are being quite so active in this space, why my noble friend Lord Collins is there this week, why the Foreign Secretary and Minister Dodds have had so many conversations with Ministers in Ethiopia and Somalia, and why we will continue to support the security services on the ground. The mission is up for renewal at the end of the year, and we support work to see it continue for as long as necessary.

Lord Purvis of Tweed Portrait Lord Purvis of Tweed (LD)
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As a result of the pre-existing conflict there are 1.1 million Ethiopian, Somali and Eritrean refugees in Sudan. As a result of the conflict in Sudan, they are now stranded twice over. Human rights organisations have concerns that the Ethiopian and Somali Governments are not providing support for returns. Will the Minister for Africa raise the status of refugees on his visit to Ethiopia this week?