Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking through (a) direct engagement with the Government of Eritrea and (b) coordinated action with international partners to end the renewed involvement of Eritrea in the conflict in northern Ethiopia; and what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of mirroring sanctions issued by the US on entities connected with Eritrea’s involvement in the conflict.
Answered on
11 October 2022
The breakdown of the truce between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian Government, and the renewed involvement of Eritrea, is catastrophic for the people of Ethiopia. The UK is heavily involved in international efforts to de-escalate conflict, stressing the need for a political solution, humanitarian access and accountability for atrocities.
On 22 September, Minister for Development Vicky Ford MP raised the impact of a resumption of fighting with Ethiopia's Deputy Prime Minister Demeke. She reiterated calls for a truce, restoration of humanitarian access to Tigray and for Eritrean forces to leave. I [Minister Keegan] released a similar message on the same day. Our Embassies in Addis Ababa and Asmara continue to engage with parties to the conflict to deliver these messages.
The UK continues to consider the full range of policy tools at our disposal to protect human rights and deter violations of international humanitarian law. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.