Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps to coordinate policies on the Republic of Somaliland and Somalia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK is one of Somalia's closest and longest standing partners, and one of very few Western countries with a permanent diplomatic presence in Somaliland. We support Somaliland in enhancing stability and promoting economic, human and social development. This stands alongside our significant political, humanitarian and security assistance to Somalia as a whole.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with (a) his counterpart in Ethiopia, (b) his counterpart in Somalia, (c) authorities in Somaliland, (d) the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, (e) the African Union, (f) other states and (g) other international organisations on the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland of 1 January 2024; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that agreement on (i) regional security and (ii) the status of Somaliland.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The FCDO notes the announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland, which suggests that Ethiopia will recognise Somaliland's independence in return for the lease of territory. We are concerned by escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa and are engaging with all relevant parties through our posts in the region to call for calm and encourage dialogue. The UK has reaffirmed its respect for Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and we are aware of statements from the countries and regional bodies referenced in the question. The UK's position remains that the settlement of Somaliland's status is for Somalia and Somaliland to resolve through a consultative process.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia to provide port access.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The FCDO noted the 1 January 2024 announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland, which suggests that Ethiopia will recognise Somaliland's independence in return for the lease of territory along its coastline. The UK is clear that we respect Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our position on Somaliland remains unchanged: alongside our international partners we do not recognise Somaliland as an independent state. We believe the settlement of Somaliland's status is for Somalia and Somaliland to resolve, through a consultative process. We are engaging all countries involved to call for calm and encourage dialogue.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what his policy is on the relationship between Somalia and Somaliland; and what account that policy takes of the positions of the (a) United States and (b) African Union.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK, alongside others in the international community, does not recognise Somaliland's unilateral declaration of independence. The constitutional settlement between Somaliland and Somalia is not for the UK to decide. It is for Somalia and Somaliland to come to an agreement about their future relationship and we encourage dialogue on this issue.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to monitor the number of UK citizens travelling to Somaliland for the purpose of fighting in the region.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The FCDO advises against all travel to the Somaliland regions of Toghdeer, Sanaag, and Sool. We advise British Nationals in Somaliland to leave any area of unrest quickly. Our ability to provide consular support in Somalia, including Somaliland, is very limited. Should any British Nationals travel to Somaliland to fight, or to assist others engaged in the conflict, their activities may amount to offences under UK legislation and they could be prosecuted upon return to the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if his Department will take steps to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The constitutional settlement between Somaliland and Somalia is not for the UK to decide. It is for Somalia and Somaliland to come to an agreement about their future relationship and we encourage dialogue on this issue.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to African universities and institutions specialising in conflict, in particular in (1) Sudan, (2) South Sudan, (3) Eritrea, and (4) Ethiopia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Currently we do not provide support to universities in any of the specified countries. Through our recent Strategic Partnership for Higher Education, Innovation and Reform (SPHEIR) programme we have provided support to universities in Somaliland, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Sierra Leone and provided conflict support to universities in Jordan and Lebanon supporting Syrian refugees. This programme ran from 2016-2022 and focussed on transforming the quality, relevance, scale, access and affordability of higher education systems through mutually beneficial partnerships. A successor programme is currently being developed which will be accepting/encouraging bids from Ethiopia and South Sudan.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Somaliland on Busharo Mohamed Ali.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The FCDO supported a British woman who was detained in Somaliland, and raised her case with the local authorities at the highest level, including President Bihi.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the government of Somaliland.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK, alongside international partners, regularly has discussions with the Somaliland authorities, including Somaliland President Bihi. As a leading partner of Somaliland, these discussions are wide ranging and include promoting stability, economic, human and social development. In recent discussions the UK has continued to press for an urgent end to the violence in Las Anod. On 7 June we joined United Nations Security Council members to call for all parties to respect international laws and work towards an inclusive dialogue. We will, with partners, continue to engage all parties involved to engage in talks and to try to bring an end to the violence and prevent regional instability.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the protection of human rights in Somalia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
Human rights remain under threat across Somalia, with serious issues such as gender-based violence, recruitment of children into armed conflict, and threats to media freedom. The UK views the promotion of respect for human rights across Somalia, including Somaliland, as essential to the country's long-term stability. We regularly engage with the authorities to urge them to improve human rights protection. In particular, we encourage the Federal Government to pass key legislation, including the Sexual Offences Bill and the Child Rights Bill, to help safeguard the rights of women and children, as well as to amend the 2020 Media Law to enable the media to report independently without risk of retribution.