The Government of Rwanda has accused the United Kingdom of breaching trust and taking unjustified punitive measures against Kigali, and has demanded that the latter pays £50 million under the now-defunct Migration and Economic Development Partnership. Yolande Makolo, the spokesperson for the Rwandan government, criticized the UK for failing to uphold its commitments, stating that Rwanda had initially agreed to forgo the payment based on trust and good faith that prevailed between the two nations. However, she said this trust has been violated by the UK’s recent actions, including suspending aid to Rwanda and making inflammatory remarks in Parliament. “The UK had asked Rwanda to quietly forego the payment based on the trust and good faith existing between our two nations,” Makolo posted on X on Monday, March 3. “However, the UK has breached this trust through the unjustified punitive measures to coerce Rwanda into compromising our national security and by the inflammatory and irresponsible comments made in Parliament by Lord Collins, UK Minister for Africa. We are therefore following up on these funds, to which the UK is legally bound.” The dispute escalated after Foreign Secretary David Lammy suspended UK aid to Rwanda last week, citing alleged Rwandan support for the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). Rwanda has strongly denied the allegations, accusing the UK of amplifying false narratives and undermining regional peace efforts. The £50 million payment was originally part of the migration agreement, under which the UK planned to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. However, the Labour government scrapped the scheme shortly after taking office. Despite this, Rwanda argues that the UK has not formally terminated the agreement, meaning the payment is still legally due. “The UK had asked Rwanda to forgo the payment while they processed the formal termination,” Makolo added. “But they have failed to do so, and with their recent actions, we have no reason to continue waiting.” Rwanda has insisted that it upheld its part of the agreement and made significant investments to prepare for the migrants, even though no one was forcibly relocated under the scheme. Kigali now argues that the UK’s failure to finalize the termination of the deal means the funds remain contractually owed.
