Rwanda still waiting for migrants deported from UK
The attempt to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom failed on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Rwanda says it is still ready to welcome those expelled from the United Kingdom.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel
AFP
Rwanda assured on Wednesday that it would remain “fully committed” to its “partnership” with London despite the cancellation the day before, due to legal appeals, of the first flight supposed to bring illegal migrants deported from the United Kingdom to Kigali.
Over 6,000 kilometers away, the words were the same. “We are not discouraged by these developments,” Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo said Wednesday morning, echoing the phrase used by British Home Secretary Priti Patel in a statement hours earlier. “Rwanda remains fully committed to working to make this partnership work,” she said, saying the East African country “stands ready to welcome migrants when they arrive and offer them safety. and opportunities”.
A 140 million euro deal
The first flight under the controversial agreement was due to take off from Britain on Tuesday evening, before being canceled at the last minute following a decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). This project has for weeks been the center of strong criticism, notably from the United Nations refugee agency and human rights organizations, but also from the leaders of the Anglican Church who have called “immoral”.
The Kigali government, frequently accused of human rights abuses, forcefully rejects criticism that Rwanda is not a safe country for migrants. “We don’t think it’s immoral to offer people a home,” Yolande Makolo told a news conference on Tuesday, saying Rwanda was ready to welcome “thousands” of migrants. “We do not consider living in Rwanda as a punishment,” she said, recalling that this country of around 13 million inhabitants already hosts more than 130,000 refugees from various countries.
The agreement, which is to be funded by the United Kingdom to the tune of 120 million pounds sterling (140 million euros), is also for some observers a way for Rwanda to deflect criticism of its human rights record. rights and freedom of expression.
An “opportunity” according to some Rwandans
In the streets of the Rwandan capital Kigali, people wondered on Wednesday regarding the future of this project, which some see as an “opportunity”. “We have already helped other people. I heard the Minister of Foreign Affairs say that money will be given to Rwanda to welcome these refugees and that they have skills that they can share with Rwandans. This is an opportunity for us,” said student Zephanie Mgabonzima.
For Emmanuel Hakizimana, “the fact that these migrants did not come is a loss for the country and the population”. Their coming “would have been beneficial to us and we would have worked together”, believes this businessman. The manager of the Hope Hostel, where the asylum seekers were to be accommodated upon arrival, declined to comment on the cancellation of the flight. Other residents, such as barber Eric Danny Manzi, fear Rwanda’s reputation will be damaged by the confusion of recent days.
“To have such news of this cancellation at the last minute gives us a bad image. Now we are at a loss because we will not be able to provide the services we were supposed to,” he said.
The NGO Amnesty International welcomed these latest events. “Attempts by the British government to undermine the entire international refugee protection system by shifting responsibility to Rwanda have been thwarted,” tweeted Amnesty’s deputy regional director for East Africa, Sarah Jackson. For her, “the power of the people backed by a court was stronger than the people in power.”
Published: 15.06.2022, 22:58
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