Rwanda has strongly asserted its commitment to providing care for refugees and expressed its disagreement with a recent legal ruling in the UK that deemed it unlawful to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
According to Rwandan government spokeswoman Yvonne Makolo, the judges’ assertion that there were insufficient guarantees against the return of refugees to their home countries was an overly narrow perspective on the issue.
Makolo emphasized that Rwanda, as a signatory to the UN refugee convention, adheres to policies and practices that ensure refugees are not sent back to perilous situations.
Makolo further highlighted Rwanda’s track record in refugee care, pointing out that the country is currently hosting approximately 140,000 refugees.
Additionally, Rwanda has been actively collaborating with the UN refugee agency since 2019 to evacuate migrants facing danger in Libya.
“We know what it is to flee and seek safety. Many of us have lived outside the country, we’ve been forced to leave… and come back. So we empathise with those in this situation,” she said.
She said the information being given about Rwanda was “not sufficient or has been misunderstood”, adding that the country had been ranked one of the safest in the world.
“If there are issues that come up in this [asylum] programme and on the distorted views of what Rwanda is and how we govern this country, we are happy to explain – a lot of it is unjustified”.