Rwanda Seeks $69M from UK Over Cancelled Asylum Deportation Program

Rwanda has initiated formal arbitration proceedings against the United Kingdom at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, seeking $68.8 million in compensation over a cancelled asylum deportation agreement, according to officials and media reports.The legal action, filed Tuesday, stems from the UK's failure to formally terminate a controversial 2022 treaty that would have seen asylum seekers arriving via small boats deported to the East African nation. Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped the program upon taking office in July 2024, declaring it "dead and buried.""Rwanda regrets that it has been necessary to pursue these claims in arbitration, but faced with the United Kingdom's intransigence on these issues, it has been left with no other choice," said Michael Butera, chief technical adviser to Rwanda's justice minister, speaking to AFP.The dispute centers on £50 million ($68.8 million) in outstanding payments due under the original agreement. London had already transferred £240 million ($330.9 million) to Kigali before the program's cancellation, with the disputed amount scheduled for payment in April.The deportation scheme, negotiated under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government, was designed as a deterrent to Channel crossings. However, only four volunteers ultimately relocated to Rwanda before the program's termination.The agreement faced sustained legal challenges, culminating in a November 2023 UK Supreme Court ruling that declared it illegal under international law. The court found that Rwanda could not be considered a safe third country for asylum processing.Immigration remains a contentious political issue in post-Brexit Britain, with over 40,000 asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in 2024 – the highest number since 2022. The crossings have resulted in dozens of deaths, intensifying public debate over border security and humanitarian obligations.The legal dispute occurs amid broader diplomatic tensions between London and Kigali. The UK suspended most financial aid to Rwanda last year over allegations that Kigali supports the M23 rebel group's operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a move Rwanda characterized as "punitive."A spokesman for Starmer's office stated Tuesday that the government would "robustly defend our position to protect British taxpayers." The arbitration case status remains pending, according to the Permanent Court of Arbitration's website.The UK has since implemented alternative migration policies, including a "one-in-one-out" agreement with France aimed at managing asylum seeker flows, though critics have questioned its effectiveness and humanitarian impact.