The Rwandan government cannot guarantee how many migrants it will accept from the UK as part of Rishi Sunak’s flagship deportation scheme, its spokesperson said.
Rwanda has signed a five-year agreement with the UK, the cost of which is already estimated to be at least £300 million. Around 52,000 people have arrived in the UK since the law changed in 2023 and are in line for deportation.
Last month, Parliament approved the Prime Minister’s plans to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda. Speaking on 22 April, Mr. Sunak said the first flight to Rwanda would leave in 10 to 12 weeks. The government had previously said it planned to start flights in the spring. Mr Sunak said that “flights will operate several times a month during the summer and beyond”.
But, speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Rwanda’s government spokesperson Yolande Maloko said:
“I cannot tell you is how many thousands we’re taking in the first year or in the second year.”
But, when asked if Rwanda could accommodate all of the people in the current backlog, Ms. Maloko said:
“This will depend on very many factors that are being worked out now.”
Ms. Makolo urged critics of the plan not to attack Rwanda “unjustly”, and to present a solution to the migrant crisis which was “not just deterrence and enforcement”. She said:
“People are suffering here so we need good solutions and we need to rethink the migration crisis. Living in Rwanda is not a punishment. It is a beautiful country, including the weather.”
