Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in coordination with the African Union and international partners, to encourage the withdrawal of the Eritrean Defence Forces from Tigray and to support stability and protection for civilians in the region.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government monitors the environment for freedom of speech in Ethiopia, and has supported the investigative capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.
We have also prioritised survivor-centred support for those affected by conflict-related sexual violence in Ethiopia, and we engage with civil society actors to strengthen protection and accountability. In the last financial year, we allocated £4.6 million to address Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) and deliver child protection services in Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia and Somali regions.
In addition, we are supporting efforts to implement the African Union-led Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, including through funding for monitoring and compliance mechanisms, and the safe, voluntary and dignified returns of internally displaced people. On 12 December, the UK joined other nations in calling for a peaceful resolution of current disputes, and we will continue to work with international partners and the African Union to support stability and reconciliation across Ethiopia.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 22 July (HL9363), what further steps they are taking, in coordination with international partners, to address ongoing gaps in support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Tigray, including children; and what role they plan to play in leading efforts, through engagement with civil society actors, to ensure survivors receive sustained medical, psychological and legal assistance.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government monitors the environment for freedom of speech in Ethiopia, and has supported the investigative capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.
We have also prioritised survivor-centred support for those affected by conflict-related sexual violence in Ethiopia, and we engage with civil society actors to strengthen protection and accountability. In the last financial year, we allocated £4.6 million to address Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) and deliver child protection services in Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia and Somali regions.
In addition, we are supporting efforts to implement the African Union-led Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, including through funding for monitoring and compliance mechanisms, and the safe, voluntary and dignified returns of internally displaced people. On 12 December, the UK joined other nations in calling for a peaceful resolution of current disputes, and we will continue to work with international partners and the African Union to support stability and reconciliation across Ethiopia.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the United States of America to withdraw from the World Health Organization's HIV and AIDS treatment programmes and to freeze aid funding for centres for victims of torture which support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Tigray; and of the impact of this reduction of essential services to survivors of conflict in Tigray.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are assessing implications of the US funding pause across development sectors and geographic regions including Ethiopia. We are gathering information and working with donor partners to share analysis of the pause and understand its impact.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to prevent conflict in Tigray.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working with partners to prevent a return to conflict and preserve stability in the region by supporting the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. In the context of a rise in tensions in Tigray, we are actively engaging all parties to encourage de-escalation and dialogue. On 13 March we issued a joint statement alongside the US, EU, and 22 other countries to this effect.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the New Lines Institute’s publication entitled Genocide in Tigray: Serious Breaches of International Law in the Tigray Conflict, Ethiopia, and the Paths to Accountability.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The 'Genocide in Tigray' report by the New Lines Institute has drawn attention to the conduct of actors during the conflict of 2020-2022. The report is consistent with UN investigations which concluded that all sides committed major human rights violations and abuses, some of which might amount to crimes against humanity. UK policy is that genocide can only be determined by a credible international court. The UK has consistently called for accountability for victims of the conflict in northern Ethiopia and is supporting Ethiopia's transitional justice efforts, including by working with national human rights organisations to enhance evidence collection that could support criminal procedures.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of efforts since the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in November 2022 to achieve justice and accountability for conflict-related sexual violence in Tigray, and what support they are providing to those efforts.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The UK is committed to preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence in Ethiopia. We have consistently called for an end to the appalling gender-based violence committed across Ethiopia, including sexual violence, particularly during the Tigray conflict. We therefore welcome the recent agreement to implement a comprehensive national Transitional Justice policy aimed at accountability, redress for victims, reconciliation, and healing. The UK has called for the perpetrators to be held to account and the importance of a victim-centered, gender-sensitive approach. We will work with the Ethiopian Government and civil society in their efforts to hold perpetrators to account, including building the capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission through the UK's Human Rights and Peacebuilding programme (HARP).
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement published by Refugees International on 27 November concerning the war in Tigray, which stated that "between 40 and 50 per cent of women experienced gender-based violence"; and what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to bring those responsible to justice.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
We welcome independent reporting such as Refugees International's and are appalled by the reports of gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence committed by all sides during the conflict in Northern Ethiopia. The United Kingdom condemns sexual violence unequivocally and without exception and stands with all victims and survivors. We continue to call for the Government of Ethiopia to develop and implement an inclusive and credible Transitional Justice policy, to ensure accountability for atrocities and human rights violations including gender-based violence and have offered support to the Government of Ethiopia on this. Through our human rights and peacebuilding programme, the United Kingdom is helping to build the investigative capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to deliver justice and accountability for victims, including survivors of gender-based violence. Our humanitarian programming also involves work to improve the availability and accessibility of services for survivors.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Ethiopia on transparent accountability for human rights violations committed during the Tigray war; and what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other countries on co-ordinating diplomatic responses to this issue.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK is committed to protecting human rights in Ethiopia and across the globe. We continue to support the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia. The UK also provides funding to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights independent monitoring of human rights in northern Ethiopian and our £4.5 million Human Rights and Peacebuilding programme (HARP) supports the capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC). We continue to emphasise the need for peaceful resolution of all conflicts in Ethiopia through inclusive, transparent dialogue.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who have died as a consequence of the war in Tigray as a result of (1) fatalities in the conflict, (2) displacement, and (3) illness and hunger caused by the conflict.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Reliable information on casualties caused by the conflict in Tigray is very scarce. Armed violence is likely to have cased thousands of battlefield casualties. Calculating deaths attributable to displacement, hunger and illness is more challenging. This is due to the breakdown in medical and communications services in Tigray during the conflict, exacerbated by the negligible levels of humanitarian access all of which hampered information gathering and accurate reporting.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Eritrean soldiers continue to target civilians in the Tigray region of Ethiopia following the cessation of hostilities on 2 November; and what assistance they are providing to the affected communities.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The presence of Eritrean forces in Tigray has fuelled the conflict in northern Ethiopia making its resolution more difficult. The peace agreement is clear that Ethiopian Government forces will safeguard the sovereignty of the country and prevent provocation or incursion on either side of the border. We continue to urge the Eritrean Government to withdraw its troops in support of this peace agreement.
According to the UN, approximately 5.4 million people in Tigray require life-saving aid. In the last nineteen months the UK has provided nearly £90 million to communities across Ethiopia affected by crises, including Tigray. Our partners on the ground are responding to the current crisis with UK funding, including via the £6 million we contributed to the Ethiopian Humanitarian Fund in August 2022 and via the £14 million for UNICEF announced during the former Minister for Development's recent visit to Ethiopia and disbursed to UNICEF in November.