Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the security situation in Somalia as a result of the withdrawal of Ethiopian armed forces from that country.

We are aware that Ethiopia has withdrawn some of their non-African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces. We are in close contact with the government of Ethiopia, other AMISOM troop contributing countries, and key donors to explore options to mitigate the effect of the withdrawal on security in Somalia and the wider region.

Al-Shabaab remains a threat and continues to launch attacks in Somalia and the wider region.