We don't have to repay UK for axed deal - Rwanda

By Wedaeli Chibelushi in London & Samba Cyuzuzo in Kigali,
BBC News & BBC Great Lakes



Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L) and Rwandan President Paul Kagame (R) were proponents of the controversial scheme
Rwanda has said it is not required to refund the UK after a multi-million pound migrant deal between the two countries was scrapped.


New UK Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer announced at the weekend that the plan to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda was "dead and buried".
The scheme was forged by the previous Conservative government, which since revealing the plan in 2022 has paid Rwanda £240m ($310m).

Legal challenges meant the scheme never took off and the UK expressed hope on Monday that some money from the deal could be recouped.


The following day, a spokesperson for Rwanda's government told the country's state television: "Let this be clear, paying back the money was never part of the agreement."

Alain Mukuralinda said the agreement "did not stipulate" money should be refunded and that the UK had approached Rwanda and requested a partnership, which was "discussed extensively".


In January, after 21 months of the scheme being stalled, Rwandan President Paul Kagame suggested some money could be returned if no asylum seekers were sent to the country.
But Rwanda's government later specified there was "no obligation" to refund the UK.

In Rwanda's capital, Kigali, workers hired months ago to build housing for the asylum seekers expressed concern about Mr Starmer's decision.
The scheme’s death could “badly affect our lives”, a worker at the Gahanga site told the BBC.

Employees on the site get paid between £1.80 and £6 per day - relatively good wages for construction workers in Rwanda.


Resident Mariya Nyirahabimana said the value of houses in her neighbourhood had increased significantly since construction started, but she feared that “poverty could come back” to Gahanga.

Partly built accommodation for asylum seekers who were meant to be deported from the UK to Rwanda.
Workers building accommodation for the asylum seekers are concerned they will now be left jobless

Since his party won last week's election in a landslide, Mr Starmer has labelled the Rwanda scheme an expensive "gimmick" and pledged to instead focus on launching a new Border Security Command to tackle people-smuggling gangs.

Opposition to the bill has also came from other quarters over the past two years - the UK's Supreme Court ruled the plan unlawful, human rights organisations branded it cruel and draconian, while dissenters within the Conservative Party pushed for amendments that would better protect the scheme from legal challenges.

The previous government said the scheme was aimed at deterring people from crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Illegal migration is one of the major challenges facing the UK government.

So far this year, more than 13,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats.
The figure is higher than numbers for the same period last year, although in 2023 as a whole there was a drop compared to 2022.

Denmark had been mulling a similar deal with Rwanda, but it put the discussions on hold in January last year.

It said it wanted a more unified approach within Europe to tackle illegal migration.

Additional reporting by the BBC's Anne Soy.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lkqegz5k7o

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Getty Images Rwandan President Paul Kagame (R) is greeted by Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L) as he arrives at Downing Street on April 09, 2024.

In January, after 21 months of the scheme being stalled, Rwandan President Paul Kagame suggested some money could be returned if no asylum seekers were sent to the country.
But Rwanda's government later specified there was "no obligation" to refund the UK.

I knew it was a completely stupid idea and President Kagame knew too but wanted to collect their money. He achieved it. He knows that these guys from western countries think that they are wise but other are stupid. Smh

The UK should not disgrace itself further reminding everyone that it once had the most incompetent and irresponsible leaders in the world by just forgetting about a refund from Rwanda. Kolewek, that British tax payers money is gone. If their current PM is serious, he should prosecute everyone behind the silly idea.

There's a reason for everything. Not everything that looks bad on the surface is actually bad. If there was a deal between the two countries, the new PM was supposed to go through first. And again, UK will be out of land space very soon. I'm not saying that could be the reason but for them to come to such a conclusion such that Rwanda was paid upfront and both parties entered an official agreement, then it must have been something born out of indepth reasonings which we may soon see its effect. So, some of those deals were for a reason better known by the two nations. Any leader that comes into power the first day and make a rash decree without meeting stake holders on the matter wasn't prepared and was led by propaganda. It's like Tinubu removing subsidy before even stepping his foot in his office and worse, without any plan.

Rwanda don cash out

What was Rishi thinking when he proposed that deal?

The money was never given to Rwanda for any asylum seekers.........this was a donation to the M23 Militia who is ravaging the city of Goma in Congo as we speak. Since Kagame is the actual general of the terrorists, the Jew-K needed to come up with a way to pay him and his army without arousing the suspicions of the UK tax payers. Western tax payers have always financed wars against the third world without knowing it....this is no different . This was why their wanted an anti-immigrant migrant to rule the colony .....so that he could be blamed for the "blunder " (well executed Money laundering scheme )

Sunak will now move back to East Africa to continue his family's evil deeds on behalf of the Jew-k .....and ofcourse to enjoy the loot . Brilliant performance

Tinubu son should advise his father please, you're young and wise. Grab those Western money to develop our nation