Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to tackle civil unrest in Ethiopia since its national state of emergency was declared.

We are urging the Government of Ethiopia to implement the State of Emergency with restraint and for the shortest time possible. We have been clear that continued police repression, and refusal to allow peaceful protest and space for political discussion, will fuel unrest and instability. The President of Ethiopia has outlined a number of measures, including electoral reform, to address protestors' concerns. We are urging their swift implementation and offering UK support to their reform agenda.