The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson called the scheme “an innovative approach, driven by our shared humanitarian impetus and made possible by the freedoms of Brexit” on Thursday, saying that with the help of the United Kingdom Rwanda will have the capacity to resettle thousands of people. years. “
Speaking at a joint news conference in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, on Thursday, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said people relocated to Rwanda “would receive support, including up to five years of training, integration, accommodation, health care to Patel also called the plan a “joint new partnership for migration and economic development”, saying the UK was “making significant investments in Rwanda’s economic development”.
Patel insisted the goal of the agreement was to improve the UK’s asylum system, which she said faced a “combination of real humanitarian crises and evil smugglers of people who make money using the profit-making system”. .
When asked by a reporter what the criteria for relocation would be, Patel said: “We are very clear that anyone who enters the UK illegally will be considered for resettlement and relocation to Rwanda, I will not reveal specific criteria for a number of reasons.”
Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta said Rwanda was pleased to work with the United Kingdom.
Asked whether Rwanda has the infrastructure to accept the influx, Biruta said the country has the capacity to receive migrants and will invest in new infrastructure for the education and accommodation of migrants with the support of the United Kingdom.
Biruta added that the program will only be for people seeking asylum in the UK and who are in the UK, and that they “prefer not to receive people from immediate neighbors such as the DRC, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania”.
“Traded as a commodity”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) voiced “strong opposition and concerns” about the plan and called on both sides to review the plan.
“People fleeing war, conflict and persecution deserve compassion and empathy.
“UNHCR remains firmly opposed to arrangements that seek to transfer refugees and asylum seekers to third countries in the absence of sufficient guarantees and standards. “Such arrangements simply transfer responsibility for asylum, evade international obligations and run counter to the letter and spirit of the Refugee Convention,” Trigs said.
UNHCR also said the plan would increase risks and make refugees look for alternative routes, putting more pressure on frontline states.
“Experience has shown that these agreements are usually very expensive. They often violate international law. They do not lead to decisions, but rather to widespread detention or more smuggling, “UNHCR Senior Legal Officer Larry Botinique told Britain’s Times Radio on Thursday.
Human Rights Watch was fiercely critical of the plan, making a strong statement.
“Rwanda’s appalling human rights record is well documented,” it said.
“Rwanda has some experience of extrajudicial killings, suspicious deaths in custody, illegal or arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, especially against critics and dissidents. In fact, the United Kingdom has directly expressed its concerns about respect for human rights in Rwanda, and is providing asylum to Rwandans who fled the country, including four only last year, “it said, adding:” At a time when the people of the United Kingdom have opened their hearts and homes to Ukrainians, the government chooses to act cruelly and sever its obligations to others fleeing war and persecution. “
Amnesty International’s director for the rights of refugees and migrants in the United Kingdom, Steve Valdes-Symonds, described the plan as “shockingly ill-conceived”.
“Sending people to another country – not to mention one with such a grim human rights record – to ‘processing’ asylum is the height of irresponsibility and shows how far from humanity and reality the government is now on asylum issues.” Valdes, Simmonds said in a statement.
As part of the new plan, the British Royal Navy will take over operational command from the English Channel border forces “in order to keep no boats from reaching the United Kingdom unnoticed,” Johnson said.
It also allows the UK authorities to prosecute those arriving illegally, “with life sentences for anyone piloting boats”, he said.
The English Channel, a narrow waterway between Britain and France, is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Refugees and migrants fleeing conflict, persecution and poverty in the world’s poorest or war-torn countries are at risk of dangerous passage, often in boats unfit for travel and at the mercy of smugglers, hoping to seek asylum or economic opportunities in Britain. .
Last November, 27 people drowned in very cold waters off the coast of France after an inflatable boat carrying migrants to Britain overturned in one of the deadliest incidents in the English Channel in recent years.
CNN’s Kara Fox and Helen Regan contributed to this report.
Add Comment