Tigray: Humanitarian Aid

(asked on 8th March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in response to the remarks by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator on 4 March that (1) “a campaign of destruction” is taking place in Tigray, (2) that at least 4.5 million people need humanitarian assistance, and (3) that Eritrean forces should leave Tigray forthwith.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 22nd March 2021

The UK shares the concerns outlined by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator in his statement of 4 March on the humanitarian situation in Tigray. The UK has been consistent in calling for free and unfettered humanitarian access to 4.5 million people in need. We have made clear our position that Eritrean forces should withdraw. The Foreign Secretary raised the need for humanitarian access to Tigray with Prime Minister Abiy during his recent visit to Ethiopia and pressed for a political dialogue to bring lasting peace to the region. The Minister for Africa re-enforced the urgency of the need for humanitarian access when he spoke with the Ethiopian Ambassador on 24 February.

The UK is working closely with humanitarian and development agencies to make sure aid reaches civilians affected by the fighting. UK-funded aid agencies in Tigray are delivering support in challenging circumstances, including food, shelter, water and healthcare. A joint humanitarian and political team from the British Embassy in Addis Ababa visited Mekelle on 5 March. They met with the provisional administration of Tigray, mayor of Mekelle, humanitarian agencies and people displaced by violence. They heard harrowing accounts of human rights violations, the challenges of aid delivery and how some of the £11.4 million of UK Aid is helping to support those affected by the Tigray conflict. The Government of Ethiopia must act now to protect its people.

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