§ 59. Mr. Rankinasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Ethiopia on the incident which occurred recently in the Awareh district of Ethiopia involving the deaths of British Somali tribesmen.
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§ Mr. ProfumoThe facts concerning the incident in the Awareh area of Ethiopia, as given to the House by my right hon. Friend the Colonial Secretary on 4th December. were not in themselves such as to warrant representations to the Ethiopian Government.
According to information since received, further incidents occurred in the territories known as the Haud and Reserved Areas on 1st December and on 2nd and 3rd December, when Ethiopian security forces attacked two groups of nomadic Somalis from the Protectorate. killing nine of them.
Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires in Addis Ababa was immediately instructed to communicate to the Ethiopian Government the information in our possession. He requested their urgent comments, and reserved the right of Her Majesty's Government to claim compensation. The Ethiopian Government have told Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires that the Ethiopian local authorities have been instructed to cooperate closely in continuing investigations of these incidents and in efforts to apprehend the guilty parties and fix the blame. Members of the British Liaison Staff and the Ethiopian local authorities have been in touch on the ground. It has also been agreed, in the course of these exchanges between the Ethiopian Government and Her Majesty's Government that, when those responsible have been apprehended, they will be dealt with, and that any other steps which are normal in such cases among tribesmen will be taken. We naturally welcome this.