Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia; and what steps they are taking to avert further armed conflict in the region.

Tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia remain heightened, with a risk of further escalation. This is having a destabilising effect on the wider region. We are following developments closely and continue, alongside our international partners, to urge all parties in the region to avoid escalation and any action that threatens stability in the Horn of Africa. In August, the Foreign Secretary and Minister Dodds both separately raised this issue with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Taye, and I discussed it with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.