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Foreign Conflicts

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 May 2021

Wednesday, 5 May 2021

Questions (342)

Brendan Howlin

Question:

342. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the actions that Ireland and the European Union have taken regarding Ethiopia in the view of the activities of the Ethiopian and Eritrean forces in the province of Tigray in which many have lost their lives or in the case of women have been sexually assaulted; it the matter has impacted on trade or aid programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22846/21]

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Written answers

Ireland remains deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict in Tigray, which has seen many people killed, injured, and displaced, and which is feeding into instability across the wider Horn of Africa region.

Ireland continues to maintain the Security Council’s attention on Ethiopia, brokering a press statement on the situation in Tigray on 22 April - the first time the Council has spoken publicly on the Tigray crisis. We have also used the opportunities provided by Security Council thematic discussions on conflict and hunger, and on conflict-related sexual violence, to highlight these aspects of the Tigray crisis.

An immediate ceasefire is the most important step all parties can take. In this regard, it is imperative that Eritrean forces leave Tigray immediately.

Notwithstanding some improvement in humanitarian access, the humanitarian situation continues to be concerning, in particular the situation of internally displaced persons. There are allegations of the use of starvation as a weapon of war. I am concerned by attacks on humanitarian workers.

There are multiple, credible and harrowing reports of ongoing human rights violations, including sexual violence, in Tigray. These must cease immediately and perpetrators be held to account. The use of rape as a weapon of war is unconscionable. I strongly support the work of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, working with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, to investigate reported atrocities. It is vital that these investigations be credible and transparent, and address the issue of sexual violence.

Ireland continues to advocate for an effective response to the situation in Tigray, and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict through bilateral engagement, our EU membership and also at the UN Security Council, where we remain actively engaged with other Council Members on further ways to address the crisis. Supporting this advocacy, Minister Coveney continues to engage on an ongoing basis with a range of key interlocutors on the situation, including with counterparts in the Horn of Africa region, the Gulf, as well as the African Union.

Ireland is working with partners to ensure a strong and constructive EU response to the crisis, as underlined by Minister Coveney during the discussion on Ethiopia at the April meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). Minister Coveney maintains close contact with his Finnish counterpart, Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto, who has recently visited the Horn of Africa region on two occasions on behalf of the EU.

At the April FAC, Minister Haavisto debriefed EU Ministers on his recent visit to Ethiopia, providing a very worrying assessment of the conflict and its humanitarian consequences. Ministers discussed next steps for the EU, and there was agreement on the urgent need for a ceasefire, and investigations into allegations of human rights abuses, war crimes and sexual violence.

On 11 March, the EU published Council Conclusions on Ethiopia, which reiterated the EU’s deep concern for the situation in Tigray. The EU also recently allocated an additional €53 million in humanitarian aid for Ethiopia, including for those affected by conflict in Tigray.

My Department, through the Irish Aid programme, has to date provided over €3.2 million to support the vital humanitarian response in Tigray and the refugee response in neighbouring Sudan, through our trusted UN and NGO partners on the ground. Since the outbreak of conflict, we have had to pause some of our planned longer term development engagement in Tigray (for example in relation to agriculture), and adapt other interventions to ensure a conflict-sensitive approach and a strong focus on humanitarian response, human rights and sexual violence.

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