Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, in response to the outbreak of renewed conflict in the Tigray region (1) bilaterally with the government of Ethiopia, and (2) multilaterally through the UN and the African Union; and what plans they have, if any, to advocate for penalties or sanctions against those obstructing humanitarian efforts in Tigray.

The Minister for Africa expressed her deep concern at escalating fighting and airstrikes in Northern Ethiopia on 20 October. The conflict in Tigray has taken a terrible toll on the people of Tigray and also civilians in neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions. There can be no military solution to this crisis and political negotiation is the only way to resolve this and other conflicts in Ethiopia. The former Foreign Secretary raised the need for a political dialogue to bring a lasting peace to Tigray directly with Prime Minister Abiy on 5 August. The Minister for Africa also raised these issues in her first meeting with the Ethiopian Ambassador on 22 September.

We regularly discuss the conflict in Ethiopia with our partners, and both the Minister for Africa and the Secretary of State raised their concerns about the continued obstruction of humanitarian efforts in discussions with the US, EU, African Union and other counterparts on 12 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. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.