Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of attacks affecting Orthodox Christian communities in Ethiopia’s Arsi Zone in May and June 2026, including the destruction of a historic church; and what discussions she has had with her Ethiopian counterpart on protection for places of worship and affected communities.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided in the House of Lords on 23 June in response to Question HL995, reproduced below for ease of reference:

"We are concerned by reports of violence affecting communities in Ethiopia's Oromia region, including in Arsi Zone. The UK condemns all violence against civilians, including attacks against places of worship and people because of their religion. We continue to call on all parties to engage in dialogue to address the underlying causes of conflict. Through our Human Rights and Peacebuilding Programme, the UK supports dialogue efforts by local peacemakers, women's groups and the Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia alongside Early Warning Human Rights Networks raising security alerts. The UK also supports the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission's capacity to monitor, investigate and act upon violations affecting civilians."