Meet the Scot solving conflicts after Saddam Hussein put a price on his head
A straight-talking Scot who once survived having a bounty placed on his head by Saddam Hussein is leading the UK’s efforts to help bring peace to Ethiopia.
Glasgow -born Alastair McPhail is now the UK’s Ambassador in Ethiopia, the top diplomat helping deal with the fallout from the eruption of violence in Tigray, which has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
McPhail took charge of UK efforts having served with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office as a conflict resolution specialist in the world’s trouble spots including Iraq, Sudan and the Gaza strip.
He said: “Sometimes I think that maybe I’ve been typecast. I’ve heard people say, ‘Oh, there’s this guy from Glasgow. He can go to the tough places,’ and so I’m often not considered for the nice jobs.”
“I’m originally from Maryhill, so even from a young age, I had conflict around me.”
“I’ve handled conflict resolution in Northern Iraq and Sudan, and of course I’m now in Ethiopia, where the situation in Tigray is bad.”
“Our primary focus is to try and de-escalate the violence and secure humanitarian access to ensure civilians get the life-saving support they need.
“The governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea announced last month that Eritrean forces were to withdraw from Tigray and we are adamant that this must commence.”
Last week, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab met with his G7 counterparts in London and they put pressure on Eritrean forces to pull out of the troubled region.
The UK Government has so far pledged £15.4 million of aid since the crisis flared last November.
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Alastair played a major role in brokering the peace deal, which saw the creation of South Sudan as an independent state in 2011 – and knows his diplomacy skills face another serious test with Tigray.
McPhail added: “I’m proud of the role the UK has played in past peace processes. I’ve been a part of things which have meant that peoples’ lives have either improved, or they are alive, as a result of things we’ve done.”
Alastair joined Dominic Raab on a visit to a World Food Programme warehouse in Gondar, south of Tigray, in January where he saw first-hand the vital role that UK aid is playing.
The £15.4 million of relief aid in response to Tigray, is in addition to a £105 million package of support that the UK provided in 2020 to support efforts to respond to the triple threats of COVID-19, climate change, and locusts, which are having a devastating impact on the country.
Alastair said: “The UK’s leading the way in vaccinating the world's most vulnerable and the £548 million we’ve pledged to COVAX ensured Ethiopia received its first shipment of 2.2 million doses in March. No-one is safe until everyone is safe.”
Father-of-two Alastair joined the Foreign Office in 1994, having previously worked as a binman, barman, factory labourer, farm labourer and even a rent collector on a London housing scheme.
He joked: “Being a rent collector was useful in giving me conflict resolution skills, as it taught you certain ways to approach people who are very hostile.”
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Alastair’s wife Jo is also in the FCDO and is Ambassador to neighbouring Djibouti. The couple have two sons now in their 20s and Alastair admits balancing family life with his job has been difficult.
He said: “There have been lots of things I’ve missed with the kids, but I think they understand. They always knew I loved them.”
After studying languages at Edinburgh University, Alastair’s first Foreign Office role was helping negotiate the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty.
The Scot survived death threats from Saddam Hussein and was once taken hostage by Sudanese fighters.
He said: “While posted to the UK Embassy in Ankara from 1996 to 2000, I was the only foreign diplomat going into northern Iraq on a regular basis to mediate between the Kurdish factions.
“I had a bounty on my head from Saddam Hussein, although that was a far from exclusive club.
“He didn’t get me, but he did kill a friend of mine. He and his girlfriend were both shot, but she survived.”
The brave Scot has been honoured at Buckingham Palace twice – receiving an OBE from Prince Charles and a CMG from Princess Anne, who he once escorted to an Italy v Scotland rugby match while posted to Rome.
