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 - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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 - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
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 - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
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 - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of civilians killed in the Ethiopian and Eritrean offensive in the Tigray region of Ethiopia launched on 1 September 2022.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Information on casualties from the conflict in northern Ethiopia is scarce. Since the resumption of fighting on 24 August it is likely that there have been thousands of casualties.
The UK welcomes the agreements signed between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on 2 November and 12 November. They provide for an end to two years of brutal conflict in northern Ethiopia. The UK calls upon the Eritrean Government to support the agreement by withdrawing its troops from Ethiopia.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to consolidate the recent ceasefire agreement in Tigray; and whether these include (1) the delineation of the boundaries in the region, (2) the movement of armed forces, and (3) other verification measures.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We welcome the recent agreement between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to end the conflict in northern Ethiopia. Under the terms of the agreement, the African Union will chair a monitoring committee comprising of representatives from the Ethiopian Government, the TPLF, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). They will be assisted by a team of African experts. The agreement calls upon international partners to support the agreement, help rebuild infrastructure, and support economic recovery. However, it is clear that this must be an African-led mechanism. The UK is ready to provide support as requested and is exploring with the Ethiopian Government and African Union.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the conflict in Tigray.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We welcome the recent agreement between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front to end the conflict in northern Ethiopia.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held discussions with her counterparts in (a) Ethiopia and (b) Eritrea on ending aerial and ground bombardment of civilians in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The former Minister for Development visited Ethiopia on 19-20 October. She met Ethiopia President Sahle-Work and Deputy Prime Minister Demeke and raised the protection of civilians. The British Ambassador to Eritrea has regularly raised human rights issues, and the impact of its involvement in the war in northern Ethiopia on civilians, with the Eritrean Government. The indiscriminate targeting of civilian areas, no matter the weapon used, is against international law, and is unacceptable We have made numerous public statements urging all parties to the conflict to prioritise the protection of civilians. We welcome the 2 November peace agreement.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
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 number of civilians killed in the Ethiopian and Eritrean offensive in the Tigray region since September 1 2022.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Information on casualties from the conflict in northern Ethiopia is scarce. Since the resumption of fighting on 24 August it is likely that there have been thousands of casualties.
The UK welcomes the peace agreement and cessation of hostilities announced on 2 November between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and their commitment to scale-up the delivery of life-saving aid to Tigray. The UK calls upon the Eritrean Government to support the agreement by withdrawing its troops from Ethiopia.