Foreign Secretary visits Ethiopia in bid to halt illegal migration
Britain will help Ethiopia to create more homegrown jobs in an effort to stop its people from making small boat crossings to the UK, Yvette Cooper has said.
In her first visit to Africa as Foreign Secretary, Ms Cooper set out action to drive down the number of migrants arriving in the UK from Ethiopia and neighbouring nations.
The region, known as the Horn of Africa, also includes Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan, and has become a key source of illegal migration towards the UK according to the Foreign Office.
Some 30% of small boat arrivals into the UK have come from these countries in the last two years.
Ms Cooper has signed a job-creating agreement to provide 400 million US dollars (£292 million) of funding towards energy projects in the country.
She also met officials from telecoms company Safaricom, which is trying to boost the number of jobs in Ethiopia, helping its citizens to find work at home instead of leaving.
Elsewhere, the Foreign Secretary held discussions with the Ethiopian authorities on joint efforts to tackle the criminal gangs organising migration from the Horn of Africa into Europe and the UK.
A new partnership will see the Border Security Command give funding and support to Ethiopia’s law enforcement.
Ms Cooper said: “We are forging new partnerships with countries across Africa and delivering long-term solutions.
“We are working together to tackle the economic drivers of illegal migration and the criminal gangs who operate globally, profiting from trading in people.”
She added: “Criminal smuggler gangs operate across borders around the world, so we are working together with countries right along the transit routes.
“This co-operation in Africa follows new partnerships with countries like Iraq, the Balkan states and Europe.
“The Foreign Office is making international partnerships to tackle illegal migration a major priority because the partnerships we build abroad are crucial to making us stronger back at home.”
In discussions with Ethiopian Government, she emphasised how the country can help to resolve conflicts and other disputes in the region.
An ongoing civil war in Sudan is among the regional conflicts which have led to millions of people being displaced, and which are acting as a driver for illegal migration.
Published: by Radio NewsHub