Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conflict in the Tigray region, including the impact of that conflict on (1) surrounding regions, and (2) access for humanitarian and human rights organisations to country.

Humanitarian agencies, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), have not had access to Tigray, and telephone and internet services there have not been functioning, since 4 November. This means we lack an understanding of both the full humanitarian picture in the region, including the protection context in camps and refugee hosting areas. The UK has been at the forefront, liaising closely with the UN and partners, in calling for immediate, free and unfettered humanitarian access across Tigray, in line with the guiding principles laid down by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The UK worked with the UN to develop these guidelines and they have been shared with the Government of Ethiopia.

We are encouraged that a UN assessment mission was able to access Tigray on 7 December. The mission must be able to work without hindrance and in turn it must facilitate the timely supply of humanitarian support to those who need it including to civilians in contested areas. We will work with the UN to monitor access and humanitarian delivery and the degree to which the UN's guiding principles are adhered to. The UK has, alongside international partners, called on all sides to ensure the protection of civilians and for respect for human rights. We welcome the appeal made by the Ethiopian Commission for Human Rights' for an independent investigation into human rights violations.