Why Rwanda is seeking to host deportees from the UK

The financial compensation to Rwanda as part of the deal with the UK government to relocate asylum seekers to the East African nation is £240m ($300m), the BBC reported.

The asylum system in the UK costs the UK taxpayer £1.5 billion a year, the highest amount in over two decades also the pandemic and the increase in unlawful arrival of migrants led to an estimated 37,000 destitute migrants which cost the taxpayers £4.7 million every day on resettlement schemes, the UK Home Office in 2022 reported.

Rwanda's motivation

Rwanda views the scheme as a means to strengthen relations with the UK and an approach to stop the dangerous migration journeys that result in suffering for the migrants.

The government of the East African nation believes that tackling this issue would address the worldwide disparity in economic prospects, which they claim is the root cause of irregular migration in large numbers.

"The Rwanda/UK Migration and Economic Development Partnership is a bold new approach to deter the dangerous migration journeys which are causing untold suffering, while also addressing the global imbalance of economic opportunity, which is the underlying cause of mass irregular migration – the boats will not be completely stopped unless we reverse the lack of opportunity, and the insecurity, in countries around the world," the Rwandan government said in a statement .

Legal challenges

The British Supreme Court pronounced the policy unlawful in November, ruling that Rwanda was not a safe country for asylum seekers.

The Rwandan government denounced the claims made by the UK parliament and insisted on its commitment to work with the UK government.

"While this was ultimately a decision for the UK’s judicial system, we take issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe country for asylum seekers and refugees...Rwanda will now focus on working with the UK on a binding treaty to re-emphasize already existing guarantees required for the partnership to succeed," said the Rwandan government in a statement.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hopes the new regulations will fulfil his vow to prohibit migrants from arriving in the UK unlawfully in small boats. The UK Prime Minister’s new bill faces a vote in the UK parliament on December 12.

The new treaty

Vincent Biruta, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Rwanda, and UK Home Secretary James Cleverly signed the joint treaty on December 5.

The new treaty is binding in international law and ensures that people relocated to Rwanda under the partnership are not at risk of being returned to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened.

Diplomatic assurances and commitments

Rwanda Minister of Foreign Affairs Biruta also assured Rwanda’s commitment to the treaty, he is quoted by Rwandan media the New Times saying, “We don’t have a plan to withdraw from this collaboration. We have a plan to implement this partnership, and we remain open to monitoring the implementation and being able to adjust when necessary. So we are committed to the partnership and there is no plan to withdraw.”

Sunak’s remarks

Following the signing in Kigali, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a series of posts on his official X account said, “We’re ending the legal merry-go-round that has stopped our Rwanda policy from running to date. On Tuesday we signed a new treaty that guarantees Rwanda is safe. Our deal makes that clear. I will do whatever it takes to fulfil my pledge to stop the boats.”