Vicky Ford – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ethiopia
The statement made by Vicky Ford, the Minister for Africa, on 1 September 2022.
The return to conflict between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian Government is catastrophic for the people of Ethiopia. This development risks tens of thousands of deaths – both directly through fighting, and indirectly through a further deepening of the already dire humanitarian situation. 22 months since fighting first began, it is clear that there is no military solution.
The cessation of hostilities agreed in March 2022 created an opportunity to resolve this conflict politically and enable Ethiopia to return to sustained development and economic growth. The resumption of fighting makes the path to peace much more difficult. Tigrayan forces should immediately cease fighting in Amhara region and return to Tigray. Eritrean forces should leave Tigray. We remain confident that progress towards peace can be made if talks begin.
The conflict in northern Ethiopia has contributed to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving 13 million people in Tigray, Amhara and Afar requiring humanitarian assistance. Conflict, and the TPLF’s seizure of fuel from the World Food Programme, makes the work of humanitarian agencies more difficult. The UK urges all parties to the conflict to guarantee unfettered humanitarian access by immediately ceasing hostilities. The UK calls on the Ethiopian Government to urgently restore services to Tigray and the TPLF to enable the seized fuel to be used for aid distribution and critical services.
Previous phases of the conflict were marked by terrible violations and abuses of human rights, including sexual violence. The UK will strongly support all efforts to ensure accountability for violations and abuses, including by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia. There have already been reports of airstrikes on Tigray by the Ethiopian Government resulting in civilian casualties, and of ethnically targeted arrests. It is the responsibility of all parties to the conflict to prioritise the protection of civilians, respect human rights and uphold International Humanitarian Law.
The only way to resolve this conflict is to reinstate the cessation of hostilities and immediately begin political negotiations. We support the African Union’s mediation efforts to this end, and urge a redoubling of these efforts to avert further escalation.
