Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2021 to Question 181105, on Ethiopia: Armed Conflict, whether he has investigated whether military support vehicles approved under UK export licences for military goods to Ethiopia on (a) 14 July 2020, (b) 25 October 2017, (c) 21 May 2015, (d) 20 May 2015, (e) 2 February 2012 and (f) 14 March 2011 were used in the recent military operation in Tigray.

Export licences are the responsibility of the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) in the Department for International Trade. All these licences for military goods to Ethiopia granted to commercial end users for use in the mining and agricultural industries. At the time these licences were issued ECJU were content that they were being exported for the indicated end use and would not be diverted for military use in an armed conflict. ECJU conducts rigorous risk assessments before a licence is issued to consider whether goods might be used in a way which is inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria, as well as exercising powers to revoke or suspend extant licences when circumstances dictate. This assessment looks at the information picture in the round, taking into account information from a range of sources.