Yesterday, on 26th February, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Vincent Biruta, together with Minister of Justice Dr Ugirashebuja Emmanuel and senior government officials, received a delegation from the United Kingdom’s Parliament’s Joint Committee for Human Rights for a bilateral meeting on the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP).
Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs on X wrote that the discussion aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and clarifying key aspects of the implementation of the MEDP treaty signed last December.
The Rwanda/UK Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) is a bold new approach to deter the dangerous migration journeys causing untold suffering while addressing the global imbalance of economic opportunity, which is the underlying cause of mass irregular migration. The boats will not be completely stopped unless we reverse the lack of opportunity and insecurity in countries around the world.
This partnership also reflects Rwanda’s commitment to protecting vulnerable people.
In 2022, the UK signed a 5-year agreement with Rwanda, where Rwanda agreed to accept immigrants from the UK who had entered illegally. The UK has provided support, including £290 million, to help take care of the refugees during their stay in Rwanda.
The Refugee Council has estimated that Rwanda has the capacity to house no more than 10,000 asylum seekers per year.
In December 2023, England won a court case that had prevented the sending of immigrants to Rwanda, as it was argued that Rwanda is not a safe country for immigrants.
Reports from the Telegraph state that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to start sending the first migrants between the end of March and May 2024.