Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the Government of Ethiopia on (a) humanitarian access to the Tigray region and (b) the recent expulsion of United Nations officials from that region.

I have called on all parties in Ethiopia to urgently agree a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid through and for the Ethiopian Government to lift the de facto blockade of humanitarian relief into the Tigray region. On 30 September I also called on the Government of Ethiopia to reverse the decision to expel seven United Nations Officials from the country with immediate effect. The removal of key UN personnel will have a direct impact on the ability of the international community to deliver vital humanitarian assistance.

Our concerns were reiterated at the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 4 October where a joint statement was issued by the UK Ambassador to the UN on behalf of over 40 countries, and we also raised this at the UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing on Ethiopia on 6 October. We continue to push both sides of the conflict to prioritise the wellbeing of people in need in Ethiopia and allow the flow of badly needed humanitarian assistance.