Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 13 July (HL957), in the light of the findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in Eritrea, what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with (1) countries neighbouring Eritrea, (2) the African Union, (3) the European Union, and (4) the UN, about the impact of the number of Eritreans fleeing through the region; and what measures are being investigated jointly to alleviate the suffering of those refugees.

We have an ongoing dialogue with regional partners on the impact of irregular migration from Eritrea and the Horn of Africa. Through the EU/African Union “Khartoum Process”, the Government is working to develop, implement and resource concrete projects to reduce irregular migration as well as tackle human trafficking and smuggling from the Horn of Africa. The Department for International Development provides support for almost 600,000 refugees in Ethiopia, through a multi-year programme with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

EU and African partners will discuss further opportunities for cooperation ahead of the Valletta Summit on migration in November.