No refund for £270m Rwanda plan

KIGALI:

The Rwandan government said Tuesday that its controversial migrant deal with the UK did not stipulate the return of funds, following the decision by Britain’s new government to scrap the scheme.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had announced on Saturday that the plan forged by the ousted Conservative government to deport asylum seekers to the East African country was “dead and buried”.

London has already paid Kigali £240 million (280 million euros) since ex-prime minister Boris Johnson first announced the plan in April 2022.

There had been a spate of legal challenges, however, with the UK Supreme Court in November last year ruling that it was illegal under international law.

“The agreement we signed did not stipulate that we should return the money. Let this be clear, paying back the money was never part of the agreement,” Rwanda’s deputy government spokesperson Alain Mukuralinda told state television on Tuesday.

He said the UK had approached Rwanda and requested a partnership, which was “discussed extensively.”

“The agreement went to the courts, and it was even amended after the results from the courts,” he said.

“It went to the parliament and eventually became a treaty between two countries. A treaty provides an exit clause.”

Immigration has become an increasingly central political issue since Britain left the European Union in 2020, largely on a promise to “take back control” of the country’s borders.

Rwanda, home to 13 million people in Africa’s Great Lakes region, claims to be one of the most stable countries on the continent and has drawn praise for its modern infrastructure.

But rights groups accuse veteran President Paul Kagame of ruling in a climate of fear, stifling dissent and free speech.