The Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA) says that the outbreak of Covid-19 did not impede the exercise of receiving and resettling refugees and asylum-seekers from Libya. According to statistics from MINEMA, 156 refugees and asylum-seekers from the North African country have been resettled since mid-March. Of these, 87 were resettled to Sweden, 46 to Norway, 18 to Canada and five to France. Meanwhile, since the outbreak of the virus in the country, Rwanda has received 209 asylum-seekers and refugees. Since 2019, Rwanda has been receiving refugees and asylum-seekers who were evacuated from Libya, after being stranded there, some for years, following the cutting short of efforts to make it to European countries. The move is in line with the framework established through a tripartite agreement between the Government of Rwanda, UN refugee Agency, and the African Union. The pact gave birth to Gashora Emergency Transit Mechanism located in Bugesera district, Eastern Province, where the group is accommodated. Speaking to The New Times, Olivier Kayumba, the Permanent Secretary of MINEMA said that Covid-19 preventive measures have been put in place to prevent any possible spread of the virus in the transit centre. He said: “We are abiding by Covid-19 related protocols as recommended by the Ministry of Health, by building enough handwashing stations, providing face masks and urging people to put them on every time they are in public.” “Where services are provided from, there are marks so as to ensure that social distancing is observed. We also do regular communication through signboards, megaphone and direct sensitization in small groups of leaders,” he added. According to MINEMA, overall, 515 refugees and asylum-seekers have so far been evacuated to Rwanda and of these, over 200 got resettled in other countries – mainly in Europe.
