§ 66. Mr. J. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that in the Reserved Area of the Haud on 19th November an armed clash occurred between British Somaliland tribal police and Ethiopian askaris resulting in one Protectorate policeman being wounded and two Ethiopian askaris killed, and that tension is high due to the presence of large, well-armed Ethiopian forces; and what steps Her Majesty's Government is taking to safeguard British Protected Somalis.
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreThere have been a number of incidents in the Reserved Area of the Haud in recent weeks involving Ethiopian Police and tribal police100W from the Somaliland Protectorate. The incident of 19th November was the most serious of these. Apart from this occasion no deaths have been reported.
The situation is causing concern both to the Government of the Protectorate and to the Ethiopian Government. Her Majesty's Ambassador in Addis Ababa has made representations to the Ethiopian Government, and is keeping in close touch with them with a view to reducing tension in the area. Officers of the British Liaison Organisation are doing everything in their power to try to prevent a recurrence of these incidents and are consulting with the Ethiopian authorities for this purpose.