Rwanda says UK owes £100 million after asylum deal scrapped
## Regulation: Arbitration Between Rwanda and the UK
Regulation: Arbitration Between Rwanda and the UK
Rwanda has presented its case to an international arbitration panel, asserting that the United Kingdom owes it 100 million pounds ($115 million) as part of a refugee resettlement agreement that the UK government terminated in 2024.
Originally established in 2022 under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the agreement involved sending migrants arriving in the UK as stowaways or by boat to Rwanda, with financial compensation to cover costs incurred by Rwanda.
During the hearing at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Rwanda's Justice Minister, Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, stated that Rwanda had established necessary infrastructures such as an asylum appeals chamber, ministerial and administrative structures, and reception facilities, incurring significant expenses.
Following the election of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the agreement was rescinded, reportedly without prior notification to Rwanda. The UK government has requested the court to dismiss Rwanda's claims, arguing that an agreement was reached in November 2024, wherein Rwanda would waive the payments.
Following the election of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the agreement was rescinded, reportedly without prior notification to Rwanda.
Rwanda disputes this, with Ugirashebuja asserting that the UK is attempting to negate its legal responsibilities. The arbitration proceedings initiated by Rwanda in January claim that the agreement was unilaterally canceled by the UK and that the UK failed to meet other commitments, such as resettling vulnerable refugees from Rwanda.
The arbitration process, conducted at the Peace Palace in The Hague, is expected to be prolonged, potentially taking months to reach a conclusion. The original agreement, conceived under Sunak’s administration, aimed to process asylum claims of migrants in Rwanda, with successful applicants allowed to remain there. However, the UK's Supreme Court deemed the policy unlawful, citing Rwanda's status as an unsafe third country for migrants.
The initiative encountered significant financial expenditures, estimated by former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to be around 700 million pounds ($904 million), covering payments to Rwanda, operational costs, and administrative expenses.
Based on reporting by Africanews.
