Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what he has had with his Ethiopian counterpart on the safety of UK nationals in Tigray.

The Foreign Secretary spoke with Prime Minister Abiy on 10 November and called for the immediate de-escalation of violence, for the protection of civilians and for unfettered humanitarian access. He reiterated these messages when he met Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke on 25 November and made clear the need for the restoration of basic services in Tigray. I also stressed these points when I spoke with the Ethiopian Ambassador in London on 18 November, as well as in my tweets of 9 December and 24 November.

The British Embassy Addis Ababa has supported a number of British Nationals to leave Tigray. We are aware of 13 British people who left the Tigray area in convoys organised by the United Nations. We believe there to be 31 people remaining in Tigray with British nationality.