Migrants set to be transferred from UK to Rwanda will be welcomed to fully furnished rooms equipped with different amenities to ensure they live in comfort, according to government officials. The flight carrying the first group of asylum seekers and migrants from the UK is expected to land at Kigali International Airport on Wednesday, June 15. The number of those that will be on board is yet to be announced. Upon arrival, the migrants will be checked in Hope Hostels which is located in Kagugu, Gasabo district, which is also equipped with several entertainment facilities. Journalists cover the news briefing in Kigali on June 14. “They will be looked after and supported to start a new life here, we will provide them with legal support and translation services along with decent accommodation facilities. For those who will want to leave Rwanda, we will support them to head back to their country of origin or to a third country,” said the government spokesperson Yolande Makolo while addressing a press conference on Tuesday June 14. She said that Rwanda is determined to make its partnership with the UK on migration work, saying that, “we understand there might be opposition to this but we are asking that we give this program a chance to serve as a solution. People are suffering, the asylum system is broken and being taken advantage of by criminals who are exploiting people, people are losing their lives. Something has to be done.” She added that the programme is also giving people an opportunity to see what it is like to live in Rwanda. The Rwanda-UK Migration and Economic Development Partnership intends to disrupt the business model of organised crime gangs that make a fortune from illegally shipping migrants to the UK; will also intend to deter migrants from putting their lives at risk. The partnership was shaped in a manner that prioritizes the dignity and rights of migrants, empowering them with a range of opportunities for building a better life in a country which has been consistently ranked as one of the world’s safest. Meanwhile, the Chief Technical Advisor in the Ministry of Justice Doris Uwicyeza who is among the team the negotiated and worked on the partnership dismissed reports that among the migrants to be sent to Rwanda included minors. “There wont be any unaccompanied minors among the U.K. migrants to be relocated to Rwanda for processing. It’s not part of the agreement,” she said The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management, Philippe Habinshuti said that more amenities will be added depending on the liking of the residents. At the conference, Alain Mukuralinda, the Deputy Spokesperson of the government also clarified on concerns regarding the safety of LGBTQ+ people within the UK migrants who will be transferred to Rwanda saying that, “Our laws do not discriminate. We are a society that suffered severely over discrimination, thats why we are strongly against any form of discrimination.” The officials cited Rwanda’s strong record of providing safety to people fleeing danger, including nearly 130,000 refugees from mainly neighbors DR Congo and Burundi, as well as Afghanistan and migrants evacuated from Libya.
