 "UK says 'no further payment' to Rwanda for scrapped migrant deal")
The UK government has said that it will not make any further payments to Rwanda after the cancellation of their migrant deal.
According to a BBC report, Rwanda’s government spokesperson Yolande Makolo on Monday said that the UK had requested Rwanda to “quietly forgo” the remaining payment —reportedly £50 million ($64 million) — based on “trust and good faith.”
However, Rwanda is now demanding that the UK pay the remaining amount it claims is owed, accusing the UK of breaching trust by suspending some aid to the country, added the report.
“No further payments in relation to this policy will be made and Rwanda has waived any additional payments,” BBC quoted UK government spokesperson as saying in a statement.
The dispute over payments related to the Rwanda scheme follows the UK government’s announcement last month that it would suspend bilateral aid to the East African country, with the exception of “support to the poorest and most vulnerable.”
The decision to cut aid was made after the UK accused Rwanda of backing M23, a rebel group responsible for significant territorial gains in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo during a violent uprising.
The aid cuts have amounted to “unjustified punitive measures to coerce Rwanda into compromising our national security,” BBC quoted Makolo as saying on Monday.
Rwanda has frequently denied supporting the M23 rebel group but has recently become more defensive, citing the need to address the “existential threat” posed by genocidal militias near its borders.
Impact Shorts
View AllAccording to the report, citing UN experts, 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan troops are currently in eastern DR Congo.
Makolo told the BBC that Rwanda would be “following up” on outstanding payments related to the migrant deal, which the UK is “legally bound” to honour.
The deportation plan for some asylum seekers to Rwanda, initiated by the previous Conservative government in 2022, cost the UK £240 million ($310 million) before being scrapped by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Shortly after taking office, Starmer declared the plan “dead and buried,” arguing it was “never a deterrent” and would deport less than 1% of small boat arrivals.
“The Home Secretary has been clear that the costly Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda wasted tax-payer money and should not continue,” BBC quoted UK government spokesperson as saying.
With inputs from agencies
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