Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat). It was answered by Lord Malloch-Brown (Labour) on Thursday, 16 July 2009.

Somalia

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the incursions by troops of neighbouring countries into Somalia.

Answer: My Lords, we are aware of reports in May 2009 about incursions of Ethiopian security forces in Somalia, but we have not been able to verify these claims. The UK has no presence on the ground. The Ethiopians have stated publicly that, since the withdrawal of their forces from Somalia in January 2009, they continue to conduct only legitimate defensive operations to secure their own border with Somalia. We are of course concerned by any harmful foreign intervention, including by foreign fighters as insurgents in Somalia. We are worried by reports of Eritrean support for insurgent groups and we urge the UN to complete its investigation urgently.

Secondary information