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The Rwandan government has acknowledged the UK’s intention to halt its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. In a statement released late Monday, the Rwandan government spokesperson’s office emphasized that the deal was initiated by the UK to address its irregular immigration crisis, a problem that primarily concerns the UK, not Rwanda.
This marks the first official comment from Rwandan authorities regarding Britain’s new Labour government’s plans to cancel the programme, which has faced criticism from human rights organizations as cruel and inhumane. It remains unclear whether the Rwandan authorities are responding to press reports or have been formally informed of the decision to terminate the agreement.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared at his first press conference on Saturday that the Rwanda deportation plan was “dead and buried before it even started.” Mr. Starmer criticized the plan as a “gimmick,” though specific details on alternative approaches remain unclear as record numbers of people have arrived in the UK in the first six months of the year.
The Rwanda deportation plan was initially presented as a deterrent to migrants risking dangerous journeys, with the threat of deportation to East Africa. Despite the plan, it has cost the British government hundreds of millions of dollars without being implemented.
Rwanda’s statement noted that the government “has fully respected its part of the agreement, including with regard to finances.”
