Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support peace and conciliation in the Tigray region.

The Foreign Secretary spoke with Prime Minister Abiy on 10 November, calling for an immediate de-escalation of the conflict and for all parties involved to move swiftly to political dialogue. He reiterated these messages when he met Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke on 25 November. The Minister for Africa also stressed these points when he spoke with the Ethiopian Ambassador in London on 18 November, as well as in his tweets of 24 and 19 November. Our Ambassador in Addis continues to engage across the Ethiopian leadership in support of these objectives.

The UK is also liaising closely with partners across the region and the wider international community to urge all parties involved to engage in political dialogue and find a political solution. The Foreign Secretary spoke on 16 November with Foreign Minister Pandor of South Africa, communicating our support of President Ramaphosa's efforts towards a political solution. He also discussed approaches with his French and German counterparts in Berlin on 23 November, with President Kenyatta of Kenya on 24 November, and with Prime Minister Hamdok of Sudan on 12 November. The Minister for Africa also reiterated our concerns about the need for an urgent peaceful settlement in Tigray when he spoke with Foreign Minister Kutesa of Uganda on 26 November, and raised the situation in Ethiopia, and the role Ethiopia plays in regional stability, with the Governments of Somalia and Kenya during his visit to those two countries on 9 and 10 December. The Minister for Middle East and North Africa has done similarly with counterparts in the Gulf.