Kigali, 15 November 2023 - 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. Given Rwanda’s welcoming policy and our record of caring for refugees, the political judgments made today were unjustified.

The examples raised in court to support the ruling were insensitive to violations of international humanitarian law ongoing in many parts of the world. The court relied on extreme and speculative concerns based on the hypocritical criticisms of the UNHCR, which has on numerous occasions expressed its appreciation of Rwanda’s inclusive refugee policies, qualifying them as “exemplary”. For example, their claim of “100% rejection rate” of asylum seekers from some parts of the world is dishonest – a total of two individuals from Syria and Yemen were indeed not considered for asylum because there was a faster and more appropriate path to legal residence, and these individuals are currently living and working in Rwanda.

Also, an earlier agreement with Israel to receive migrants was ended by Rwanda after it was deemed unworkable.

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.

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