Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support organisations working to ensure the safety and security of the Barahle refugee camp in the Afar region of Ethiopia.

The UK works closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) to support refugees in Ethiopia, including Eritrean refugees. Between 2016 and 2022 the UK contributed £34.8 million to assistance to refugees in Ethiopia in partnership with UNHCR. The British Embassy in Addis Ababa speaks regularly to the Government of Ethiopia, separately and in coordination with other countries about the safety, security and access to rights of all refugees in Ethiopia, including Eritreans.

The return to conflict between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian Government is catastrophic for the people of Ethiopia. Conflict is increasing displacement and making humanitarian access even more difficult. The UK is urging all parties to the conflict to guarantee unfettered humanitarian access by immediately ceasing hostilities.