Rwanda Sues UK for £100M Over Asylum Deal Cancellation

Rwanda has launched arbitration proceedings against the United Kingdom at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, seeking approximately 100 million pounds in compensation over the cancellation of a 2022 asylum processing agreement. The legal action, initiated in November 2024, accuses the UK of breaching financial commitments and other obligations under the Migration and Economic Development Partnership, which aimed to relocate migrants arriving in the UK by small boats to Rwanda for asylum processing.

The partnership, signed in April 2022 between the then-Conservative government under Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Rwanda, envisioned deporting ineligible asylum seekers to Kigali, where they would be housed and processed. The arrangement included an initial payment of 240 million pounds from the UK, with additional funds tied to migrant transfers and economic development in Rwanda. However, the plan encountered significant hurdles, including repeated legal challenges. In November 2023, the UK Supreme Court ruled the policy unlawful under international law, citing risks to migrants' rights. Only four volunteers were ultimately transferred to Rwanda before the scheme...