Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report entitled, "They Fired on Us Like Rain": Saudi Arabian Mass Killings of Ethiopian Migrants at the Yemen-Saudi Border, published by Human Rights Watch on 21 August 2023, whether he has made representations to authorities in Saudi Arabia on the alleged killing of hundreds of Ethiopian migrants by Saudi border guards between March 2022 and June 2023.

We are aware of NGO and media reports about the deaths of migrants at the Saudi-Yemen border. The UK Government has raised the matter with the Saudi authorities, including at Ministerial level. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised the issue with the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in August, and most recently with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. The UK's relationship with Saudi Arabia covers a broad range of interests, however no aspect of our relationship prevents us from speaking frankly about human rights. We regularly discuss human rights with the Saudi authorities through a range of diplomatic channels including Ministers, our Ambassador, and the British Embassy in Riyadh.