Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has provided diplomatic or operational support for the transfer of Badme from Ethiopian to Eritrean jurisdiction.

The Governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia have yet to announce how they plan to enact their declaration of peace of 9 July 2018, including the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Badme and options for the residents there. The UK continues to offer diplomatic support for the ongoing rapprochement between the two countries. We have not engaged in specific discussions on, nor provided direct support for, the town of Badme.