A new multimillion-pound deal will make people seeking refuge in the UK fly 4,000 miles to process their asylum applications from the East African country, in what the Home Secretary has described as “the world’s top immigration partnership”. Announcing the plans on Thursday, the prime minister praised Rwanda as “one of the safest countries in the world”, adding that “it is globally recognized for its history of welcoming and integrating migrants”. However, just 10 months before the agreement was signed, the UK sounded the alarm over the failure of Rwandan authorities to properly investigate alleged human rights abuses and to protect and support victims of trafficking. A statement from the UK’s international human rights ambassador Rita French in July 2021 expressed “regret” that Rwanda had not conducted “transparent, credible and independent investigations into allegations of human rights abuses, including deaths”. . He added: “We were disappointed that Rwanda did not support the UK’s recommendation to control, identify and provide assistance to victims of trafficking, including those detained at government transit centers.” Britain itself has provided protection to dozens of Rwandans over the past decade, with 69 receiving asylum or humanitarian protection between 2011 and 2021. Revealing details of plans from the Rwandan capital Kigali on Thursday, Pretty Patel said the deal would allow deportees granted Rwandan asylum to “build their lives” in the country. He said the plan, which would pay the UK 120 120 million plus the cost of flights and accommodation, would “help break the business model of smugglers and prevent the loss of human lives while protecting them.” really vulnerable “. However, experts said it was “ridiculous” to believe that asylum seekers could build their lives in the country, citing human rights abuses and economic issues, and warned that many deportees were likely to leave immediately and return to Europe. . Rwanda already hosts more than 127,000 refugees, mostly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most of whom are in refugee camps and are not allowed to work. A similar immigration agreement between Rwanda and Israel between 2014 and 2017 is said to have resulted in almost everyone being sent to the African nation leaving the country almost immediately. Many have sought to return to Europe via human trafficking routes, such as through Libya, where human trafficking and human rights abuses are widespread. Michela Wrong, a British journalist and author of Do Not Disturb, a book on human rights abuses in Rwanda, said: “It has no viable opposition party. Elections are rigged. their democratic system is a fraud. there is a newspaper that broadcasts government propaganda. “There is no land capacity. It is the country in Africa with the highest population pressure. It is very densely populated, very small, and there is already a lot of land. “The idea that people will settle there and make it their home seems ridiculous.” Drawing similarities between the UK plan and the Israel-Rwanda agreement, Ms Wrong said she believed asylum seekers sent there would “try to leave immediately”, with many resuming their insidious journey to Europe. “They will be caught with the same trafficking gangs that many of them have already encountered. “It is a delay tactic that will force refugees to cross half of Africa and Europe to return to the United Kingdom.” A Rwandan refugee in the United Kingdom, who was granted asylum in 2018, told the Independent that he was still living “in fear” of the Rwandan government after allegedly being tortured by authorities over articles he published describing the immigration agreement. “Shameful”. The 40-year-old, who did not want to be named due to security concerns, said: “There is no freedom of speech. People live in fear. You need to sit quietly. You are not allowed to demonstrate. you can not criticize the government. “They are trying to paint a good picture after the bad situation with the genocide. Politicians go there for a few days and think it’s good – but for many of the people who live there, it’s very bad. “I feel bad, I am saddened, I am ashamed to see a country like the United Kingdom, which says it has human rights, treating people who seek asylum that way.” The agreement will make asylum seekers arriving in Britain illegally detained to assess whether they are “unacceptable”, meaning they have passed through a “safe” country. If so, they will be deported to Rwanda and integrated into the country’s asylum system. Rwanda has said that asylum seekers will have the right to full protection with equal access to employment and health care. If not granted, they may be able to obtain another form of settlement or be supported to return to their country of origin. The agreement will initially focus only on adults, but the Home Office has not ruled out moving families to Rwanda under the agreement. Opposition parties in Rwanda have criticized the plan, saying rich western countries must “meet international obligations on immigration” and calling on Rwanda to focus on resolving its own political and social issues before offering to host others. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has strongly opposed the move, saying asylum seekers “should not be traded as commodities” and warned that the agreement “would only increase the risks, forcing refugees to seek refuge”. . A group of 150 British refugee organizations have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister describing the plan as “misplaced” and warning that it would lead to “more, not less” dangerous journeys for people trying to reach the UNITED KINGDOM. A YouGov poll conducted within hours of the announcement found that 42 percent of respondents opposed it, compared to just 35 percent in favor. The Interior Ministry and the Rwandan government have been approached for comment.
