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 he has made an estimate of the number of civilians that have been killed in the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
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.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of people who have been killed by (a) military conflict and (b) famine in Tigray in each of the last three years.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Reliable information on casualties as a result of conflict and famine in northern Ethiopia is scarce. It is likely that there have been thousands of battlefield casualties over the course of the conflict. 13 million people require humanitarian assistance as a result of the conflict. As many as 5.4 million people are in need of aid in Tigray.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of reports of an aerial attack on a nursery in Mekelle Tigray on 24 August 2022; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
There was widespread reporting of an airstrike which hit a nursery in Tigray on 26 August. The UK has issued multiple public statements condemning civilian casualties and urging all parties to the conflict to prioritise the protection of civilians. Our Ambassador in Addis Ababa has raised incidents of civilian casualties repeatedly with the Ethiopian Government.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
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 impact the Tigray conflict has had on the Irob and Kunama communities.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Like many in Tigray, the Irob and Kunama populations have suffered horrifically during the conflict. There are reports of indiscriminate shelling causing civilian casualties and millions require access to life-saving aid.
We welcome the peace agreement and cessation of hostilities announced on 2 November between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The agreement commits to mobilize and expedite humanitarian assistance for all those in need in the Tigray Region and other affected areas, and ensure unhindered humanitarian access. It also commits to the restoration of essential services to the Tigray region. The UK will work alongside the Ethiopian Government and others to support implementation of the peace agreement.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
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 regional conflict affecting the Irob and Kunama communities in Tigray.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Like many in Tigray, the Irob and Kunama populations have suffered horrifically during the conflict. There are reports of indiscriminate shelling causing civilian casualties and millions require access to life-saving aid.
We welcome the peace agreement and cessation of hostilities announced on 2 November between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The agreement commits to mobilise and expedite humanitarian assistance for all those in need in the Tigray Region and other affected areas, and ensure unhindered humanitarian access. It also commits to the restoration of essential services to the Tigray region. The UK will work with the Ethiopian Government and others to support implementation of the peace agreement.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his (a) Ethiopian and (b) Eritrean counterparts on the use of bombing in civilian areas of the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The indiscriminate targeting of civilian areas, no matter the weapon used, is against international law, and is unacceptable. The former Minister for Development visited Ethiopia 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. 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: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) veracity and (b) implications of reports that Iranian-supplied drones have been used to bomb civilians in the Tigray.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The indiscriminate targeting of civilians, no matter the weapon used, is against international law. We advocate for responsible arms exports which comply with international obligations, including International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will discuss the removal of Eritrean forces from Tigray with his (a) international and (b) Eritrean counterparts.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
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 has consistently called upon Eritrea to withdraw its troops from Ethiopia: the need to support the peace agreement has reinforced the case for it do so. The UK will work alongside the Ethiopian Government and others to support implementation of the peace agreement.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
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 since 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. 13 million people require humanitarian assistance as a result of the conflict.
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.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Coventry (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to end the reported bombardment by Eritrean and Ethiopian forces of civilian targets in the Rama, Adigrat, and Shire areas of Tigray.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
There have been multiple reports of civilian casualties due to airstrikes and artillery fire, and the death of yet another humanitarian worker. We have urged all parties to the conflict to prioritise the lives of ordinary people by agreeing to an immediate cessation of hostilities and guaranteeing humanitarian access to all parts of northern Ethiopia. We have also urged the Eritrean Government to withdraw its forces from Tigray. Our Embassies in Addis Ababa and Asmara have pressed these points with the Ethiopian and Eritrean Governments, and the former Minister for Development did so with Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke on 19 October while visiting Ethiopia.