Written question asked by Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour) on Wednesday, 21 June 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 26 June 2023. It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Thursday, 29 June 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Tigray: Humanitarian Aid

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has received on (a) the humanitarian situation in Western Tigray, (b) reports of ethnic cleansing and forced displacements of Tigrayan people in that region and( c) responsibility for that alleged ethnic cleansing.

Answer: The UK continues to ensure improved awareness of and response to the large-scale and country wide humanitarian needs. In particular the UK is monitoring upcoming climate outlooks and support planning for likely below average rains from June - September as well as El Nino conditions from June. The UK noted the report published by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in 2022 detailing widespread human rights violations and abuses committed by all parties to the conflict. The UK is committed to human rights being respected and those responsible for human rights abuses and violations being held to account. We continue to support the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia. We are providing £4.5 million to help build the capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission through the UK's Human Rights and Peacebuilding programme.

Secondary information