Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Government to taking to monitor and support the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

Eritrea's role in the conflict in Tigray, including the continued presence of its armed forces, is deeply concerning. There are numerous shocking reports of atrocities committed by Eritrean forces in Tigray, and their continued presence is fueling insecurity. However, seven weeks on from Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy's commitment that Eritrean troops would withdraw from Tigray we are yet to see any evidence that this is happening - in fact, we have received reports of Eritrean troops wearing Ethiopian National Defence Force uniforms. These forces must leave Ethiopia immediately. I made this clear to the Eritrean Ambassador on 16 March, and we set this out in our joint statement with the G7 on 2 April and a G7 Communiqué on 5 May. Our Ambassador in Addis Ababa met with the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defence Force in the week of 26 April to press this point. We are closely monitoring the situation and are clear that their withdrawal must be swift, unconditional and verifiable. We continue to press hard for this commitment to be delivered.