Ethiopia: Arms Trade

(asked on 13th December 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the extent to which a continued flow of arms to (a) the Government of Ethiopia and (b) other parties to the current conflict in Ethiopia is a barrier to ceasefires and a negotiated peace; and what representations the Government has made to countries supplying arms that may potentially be used in that conflict.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 21st December 2021

We are extremely concerned by the ongoing conflict in northern Ethiopia and the implications it has for the country as a whole. The UK is working to bring an end to the violence. I have called on all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid through. I spoke to Ethiopian Minister of Justice Gedion on 6 December and pressed for an end to the fighting and for peace talks. I have continued to emphasise the need for a ceasefire through recent calls with my African counterparts, including from Kenya and the African Union (AU). We have spoken with a variety of international partners about the situation in Ethiopia, and have urged them to support a ceasefire and support the efforts of AU High Representative Obasanjo to bring an end to the violence.

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