Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 September 2021
79. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts Ireland is undertaking at both the United Nations Security Council and in the European Union to bring about an end to the genocidal conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia; and the efforts that can be made to avert a major famine in that region. [47094/21]
View answerI remain deeply concerned by the human rights and humanitarian situation in Tigray, including the ongoing blockade of the region and attacks on humanitarian workers. As famine-like conditions are reported, there is an urgent need for full humanitarian access, a negotiated ceasefire, and the commencement of political dialogue to find a resolution to the conflict.
I am alarmed by the conflict’s impact on civilians, including harrowing reports of widespread and ongoing sexual violence, and other serious human rights violations and abuses. It is vital that perpetrators be held to account. Ireland strongly supports the work underway by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), to investigate reported atrocities. The publication of their joint report on 1 November will be a crucial step towards accountability.
Ireland continues to take the lead at the UN Security Council to ensure a focus on the situation in Tigray. Ireland spearheaded calls for the most recent open Council meeting on 26 August, where we called for an urgent end to the violence, full humanitarian access, accountability for atrocities, and for a political solution to the conflict. Minister Coveney met with Ethiopia's deputy Prime Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, in New York on 21 September, where they discussed the situation in his country.
The Government continues to support a strong and constructive EU response to the crisis. EU Foreign Ministers will discuss Ethiopia again in October. On 15 September, Minister Coveney met with the EU Special Representative on the Horn of Africa, Dr Annette Weber, to discuss options for addressing the conflict.
Ireland’s continued priority will remain, as always, supporting the needs of the most vulnerable people in Ethiopia, including those affected by conflict in Tigray. Ireland, through the Irish Aid programme, has provided over €3.2 million to support the humanitarian response in Tigray and the refugee response in neighbouring Sudan, through trusted UN and NGO partners on the ground. On 7 July, I announced additional humanitarian funding of €2.7 million for Ethiopia, to address hunger and insecurity, including in Tigray.
