Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help pursue a ceasefire in Tigray to support the delivery of humanitarian aid; what assessment they have made of the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia; and how the withdrawal is being monitored.

On 24 March the Government of Ethiopia announced a humanitarian truce and committed to facilitating overland access to Tigray. This was followed by a similar commitment by the Tigray authorities. On the 1 April a UN humanitarian convoy comprising twenty trucks and one fuel tanker reached Mekelle from Afar region - the first overland delivery of aid to Tigray since mid-December 2021. As the Minister for Africa set out in her statement of 31 March, the UK welcomes this development and the UK acknowledges the important role the Afar authorities have played, alongside the Government of Ethiopia and the authorities in Tigray, in facilitating the convoy and prioritising the welfare of civilians.

The UK is committed to working with the Government of Ethiopia and authorities in Afar and Tigray to expand aid deliveries to areas affected by the conflict and to promote long-term peace and security.

Troops from Eritrea have caused significant suffering in Tigray and they have committed abuses which may constitute war crimes. Eritrean troops should withdraw fully from Ethiopia, to help bring about an end to the conflict.