Rwanda sues UK for 100m pounds in asylum deal arbitration

Rwanda accused Britain on Wednesday of owing more than 100 million pounds under a now-defunct agreement to process asylum seekers in the East African nation, launching a three-day hearing at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The case, filed by Rwanda in late 2024, centers on unpaid funds from a partnership aimed at relocating migrants arriving in Britain by irregular means, a policy initiated by the previous Conservative government and abruptly ended by Prime Minister Keir Starmer shortly after he took office in July 2024.

The agreement, signed in 2022 and formalized through an exchange of notes in June 2024, established the Economic Transformation and Integration Fund to support Rwanda's role in handling asylum claims. Britain was obligated to pay two installments of 50 million pounds each, due in April 2025 and April 2026. Rwanda also seeks an additional 6 million pounds for Britain's failure to resettle vulnerable refugees from Rwanda, primarily those fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In total, the British government has already disbursed about 290 million pounds to Rwanda as part of the arrangement.

Rwanda's Justice Minister and Attorney...