Horn of Africa: Armed Conflict

(asked on 18th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conflict in the Horn of Africa; what estimate they have made of the number of refugees resulting from such a conflict; and what steps they are taking to bring any such conflict to an end.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 2nd December 2020

The UK is concerned by the ongoing violence between federal and regional forces in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and the risk it poses to civilians, and by reports of ethnically-motivated attacks. We are gravely concerned at Amnesty International's report of killings of civilians on 9 November; we call for transparency and accountability to be delivered for such incidents.

The UN preparedness response plan estimates that 1.98 million people could be affected by violence in Tigray and neighbouring states. This number includes a caseload of 885,000 people that already rely on humanitarian support plus a further, additional caseload of 1.1 million people that are likely to be exposed to violence many of whom may be displaced from their homes and communities. Ethiopia hosts almost 800,000 refugees primarily from the neighbouring states of South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. We are contributing to UN-led preparedness planning efforts for Tigray and calling for unrestricted humanitarian access and the protection of civilians. In Sudan, flexible UK funding to the UN's World Food Programme and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is already helping new refugees from Ethiopia to receive emergency assistance, including shelter and food.

The Foreign Secretary called Prime Minister Abiy on 10 November to raise our concerns and stress the urgent need to prioritise the protection of civilian lives, restore services (including banks and telecommunications) and enable humanitarian access. He also urged for a de-escalation of violence and called for moves to political dialogue. We will follow the situation, raise our concerns at the deaths of civilians, and raise the importance of respect for human rights in meetings with the Government of Ethiopia and regional leaders.

Reticulating Splines