The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 22nd February 2021:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what representations, if any, they have made to the government of Eritrea to encourage its military withdrawal from Ethiopia.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, FCDO): We are concerned by involvement of Eritrean forces in hostilities throughout the Tigray region of Ethiopia and the growing weight of credible evidence of their involvement in human rights violations. We have raised our concerns with Ministers in both governments, making clear the overriding need to protect civilians and adhere to international law and international human rights law. We continue to urge all parties to bring an end to fighting, prioritise the protection of civilians and allow unfettered humanitarian access. The Foreign Secretary raised these points when he met with Prime Minister Abiy on 22 January.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what representations, if any, they have made to UNESCO about the establishment of a task force to assess, document and protect cultural sites in Tigray.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are concerned by reports from Tigray of attacks on places of worship as well as damage to cultural monuments and artefacts. Our Embassy in Addis is in contact with UNESCO in Addis and monitoring matters carefully. Our top priorities remain the provision of unfettered humanitarian access to the region and a complete cessation of hostilities.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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