Tigray: Humanitarian Situation

(asked on 18th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the UNOCHA Ethiopia—Tigray Region Humanitarian Update Situation Report, published on 6 January, what assessment they have made of reports of (1) food shortages, (2) looting, (3) sexual violence, and (3) damage to cultural heritage, in Tigray.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 1st February 2021

We are shocked and saddened by further reports from Tigray of massacres of civilians, sexual violence, and attacks on humanitarian facilities and places of worship as well as reports of looting. An ongoing lack of access to the Tigray region for human rights organisations, means that it remains difficult to confirm these reports. We will continue to work with partners to seek further information. We are also concerned about the impact of the conflict on food security and nutrition in Tigray. We are in close contact with the UN's World Food Programme, to understand humanitarian needs and what programme adaptations are required, as well as monitoring the regional situation.

We have made clear with Ethiopian Ministers the need to protect civilians and adhere to international law and international human rights law. We continue to call for independent, international, investigations into allegations of human right abuses and violations, and that the perpetrators of those incidents that are proven are held to account, whoever they may be. We will continue to make this point in upcoming conversations with the Government of Ethiopia.

Reticulating Splines