Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the Gedeo-Guji dispute in Ethiopia and what support his Department is providing to the Ethiopian Government.

The Government is concerned about the violence and resultant displacement of people in a number of regions of Ethiopia. We are further concerned by the conditions of recent returns, including from Gedeo to Guji zones. Conflict and displacement present a real risk to the welcome reforms that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed continues to institute.

I raised our concerns and offered assistance in my visits of October 2018 and March 2019. Our Ambassador and senior officials have raised concerns with the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Peace. DFID is currently supporting humanitarian agencies to respond to the needs of IDPs and host communities affected by this crisis, including through support to Ethiopia's humanitarian pooled fund.