Rwanda sues UK over scrapped asylum seeker deal

Rwanda began the inter-state arbitration proceedings nether the asylum concern statement successful November.

Rwanda has taken ineligible enactment against the United Kingdom’s refusal to disburse payments nether a now-scrapped, arguable statement for Kigali to person deported asylum seekers, according to a Rwandan authoritative and UK media reports.

Rwanda launched arbitral proceedings against the UK done the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration connected Tuesday. It is seeking 50 cardinal pounds ($68.8m) successful compensation aft the UK failed to formally terminate the arguable statement astir 2 years ago, The Telegraph paper reported.

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“Rwanda regrets that it has been indispensable to prosecute these claims successful arbitration, but faced with the United Kingdom’s intransigence connected these issues, it has been near with nary different choice,” Michael Butera, main method advisor to the curate of justice, told the AFP quality agency.

Butera added that Kigali had sought diplomatic engagement earlier resorting to ineligible action.

The programme to region to East Africa immoderate radical who had arrived successful the UK via tiny boats was agreed upon successful a pact betwixt London and Kilgali. It was intended arsenic a deterrent for those wanting to travel to the UK successful the aforesaid manner.

However, conscionable 4 volunteers yet arrived successful Rwanda.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped the woody – brokered by erstwhile Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative authorities successful 2022 – erstwhile helium took bureau successful July 2024, declaring it “dead and buried”.

London had already paid Kigali 240 cardinal pounds ($330.9m) earlier the statement was abandoned, with a further 50 cardinal pounds ($68.9m) owed successful April.

Starmer’s authoritative spokesperson told reporters connected Tuesday, “We volition robustly support our presumption to support British taxpayers.”

Last year, the UK suspended astir fiscal assistance to Rwanda for backing the M23 group’s violative successful the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Kigali labelled the determination “punitive”.

The statement faced a drawstring of ineligible challenges, culminating successful a November 2023 ruling by the UK Supreme Court that it was amerciable nether planetary law.

Rwanda began the interstate arbitration proceedings nether the asylum concern statement successful November, according to the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s website, which lists the lawsuit presumption arsenic pending.

Immigration has been an progressively cardinal governmental contented since the UK near the European Union successful 2020, mostly connected a committedness to “take backmost control” of the country’s borders.

Some 37,000 asylum seekers, including radical fleeing Syria and Afghanistan, crossed the English Channel successful 2024, and much than 40,000 successful 2025 – the highest fig since 2022, erstwhile astir 46,000 radical crossed. Dozens person died attempting the journey.

The UK authorities says it has removed 50,000 undocumented radical surviving successful the country.

In September, the UK and France implemented a “one-in-one-out” migrant deal aimed astatine returning asylum seekers to France portion accepting those with UK household ties. However, the argumentation has faced disapproval regarding its effectiveness. NGOs and foundation groups person besides described the strategy arsenic a “cruel” determination designed to restrict asylum rights.