Written question asked by Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party) on Tuesday, 16 January 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 18 January 2024. It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Wednesday, 24 January 2024 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Tigray: Internally Displaced People

Question: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if his Department will make representations to the Ethiopian Government to allow internally displaced Tigrayans to return.

Answer: The former Foreign Secretary welcomed the November 2022 peace agreement between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, when he visited Ethiopia in December 2022. There are no formal restrictions on internally displaced persons returning, however some areas of Tigray are under the control of regional militias or Eritrean forces. Ministers and the British Embassy Addis Ababa repeatedly raise the need for withdrawal of militias and foreign forces, including through a public statement in August 2023.

Secondary information