President Paul Kagame and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met at Downing Street in London on April 9 and held talks on the ongoing advancements of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership. They also discussed the productive bilateral cooperation between the UK and Rwanda, including the impactful support provided in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and over the last 30 years, according to the Office of the President of Rwanda. ALSO READ: Rwandans cannot be indifferent to roots of Genocide – Kagame On Thursday, March 21, the Rwandan Senate passed a bill ratifying a migration agreement between Rwanda and the UK, which seeks to protect refugees and migrants from the European nation, according to the government. The treaty was signed on December 5, 2023 by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Vincent Biruta, and his counterpart, the United Kingdom Home Secretary, James Cleverly, in line with strengthening Rwanda and UK Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP). ALSO READ: Five things to know about Rwanda-UK migration treaty It seeks to ensure that illegal migrants to the UK can be lawfully relocated to Rwanda, under the government’s ambition to stop the boats – ensuring that people know that if they come to the UK illegally, they cannot stay there. It guarantees that any people sent to Rwanda to claim asylum are not at risk of being sent to a third country where they could face harm, according to officials. It is binding in international law and ensures that people relocated to Rwanda under the partnership are not at risk of being returned to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened – an act known as refoulement, they added. Cleverly observed that Rwanda is a safe country that cares deeply about supporting refugees, adding that the country has a strong history of protecting those who need it, hosting over 135,000 asylum seekers who have found sanctuary there.
