Summary:

• Rwanda has accused the UNHCR of fabricating evidence to mislead UK courts regarding the safety of transferring asylum seekers to Rwanda under the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership. Rwanda contends that the UNHCR is making false claims while still partnering with Rwanda to relocate African migrants from Libya.

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Rwanda has accused the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) of lying and fabricating evidence to undermine the country’s refugee reception efforts and mislead UK courts in the ongoing legal disputes concerning the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership.

Earlier this week, the UNHCR claimed to have new evidence that Rwanda has endangered asylum seekers, deeming the country unsafe for the UK to transfer asylum seekers there for processing.

Rwanda, however, contends that the UNHCR is deceiving the UK courts while still transferring refugees to Rwanda. Yolande Makolo, the Government Spokesperson, issued a statement on Tuesday night, calling the UNHCR’s claims a betrayal of its own actions and urging the agency to focus on promoting refugee rights rather than undermining Rwanda’s efforts.

“UNHCR is lying. The organization seems intent on presenting fabricated allegations to UK courts about Rwanda’s treatment of asylum seekers while still partnering with us to bring African migrants from Libya to safety in Rwanda through the Emergency Transit Mechanism,” the statement said.

“Our understanding is that one of the cases the UNHCR has referred to involves a man who was denied asylum in the Seychelles. Following this judgment, the UNHCR in South Africa unilaterally decided he should be given asylum in Rwanda. The Government of Rwanda was neither consulted prior to this decision, nor have we had any contact from the UNHCR about this case since,” the statement continued.

Rwanda dismissed all the UNHCR’s claims, including those concerning Burundian refugees, as attempts to derail the UK-Rwanda partnership, even after the UK Parliament passed a law declaring the country safe. Rwanda has hosted hundreds of thousands of Burundian and Congolese refugees over the past decade.

“This is just one in a series of wholly unserious allegations that have been leveled against us by the UNHCR. Another absurd claim was that Rwanda was denying asylum to a group of Burundians who, in fact, did not ever claim asylum but instead were found to have breached Rwandan immigration laws. This is made all the more ridiculous when you consider that Rwanda currently provides refuge to tens of thousands of our Burundian neighbors who have sought safety in our country,” the statement added.

“Other false allegations relate to people with legal status in other countries arriving in Rwanda, neither meeting our entry requirements for visitors nor claiming asylum, or people leaving Rwanda entirely of their own volition. Again, these are not examples of refoulement. As we have said time and again, Rwanda does not refoule asylum seekers,” the statement further noted.

“The UNHCR seems intent on undermining the safety of Rwanda within UK courts, a challenge which is even more unbelievable given that Rwanda has entered into binding agreements with the UK to process migrants and asylum seekers, building upon our already proven record of providing safety to those fleeing conflict,” the statement concluded.

Rwanda reiterated its commitment to upholding its obligations as a signatory to the refugee convention, continuing to provide safety and opportunity to those fleeing conflict, as it has done for the last thirty years.