Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Ethiopia (1) to provide unfettered humanitarian access to Tigray, and (2) to uphold the rule of law and respect for human rights in Tigray.

The UK has been at the forefront, liaising closely with the UN and partners, in calling for sustained, free and unfettered humanitarian access across Tigray, in line with the guiding principles laid down by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. We continue to press for the supply of humanitarian assistance to all those who need it, including in the recent December visit by the Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs. We continue to work with the UN to monitor access and the delivery of humanitarian support to all those who need it including to civilians in contested areas.

We have made clear with Ethiopian Ministers the need to protect civilians and adhere to international law and international human rights law. We continue to call for independent, international, investigations into allegations of human right abuses and violations, and that the perpetrators of those incidents that are proven are held to account, whoever they may be. We will continue to make this point in upcoming conversations with the Government of Ethiopia