Rwanda Demands £50 Million from UK Over Failed Refugee Agreement Termination and Diplomatic Dispute

The Rwandan government has paid the United Kingdom (UK) £50 million, or more than Rwf86 billion, for failing to formally terminate a partnership agreement to find a lasting solution to the refugee crisis.

The ruling party has annulled an agreement signed by the UK with Rwanda during its election campaign last year, two years after the two countries signed it.

The Rwandan government says the UK has not terminated the agreement as it had formally initiated, and is asking Rwanda to stop collecting on the basis of mutual trust.

Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the UK had asked Rwanda to ignore the payment based on the trust and understanding between the two countries, and that the UK has now lost that trust and is imposing sanctions on Rwanda.

He said: “The UK asked Rwanda not to pay based on the trust and goodwill between the two countries. However, the UK has broken that trust through unfounded sanctions that force Rwanda to compromise its national security, accompanied by the derogatory remarks made by the Minister for the Great Lakes Region, Lord Collins.”

He continued: “We are now going to pursue this money that the UK is required to pay in accordance with the law because it failed to terminate the agreement transparently as it had promised.”

The UK is being asked to pay this amount after it has already shown its support for the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in its attempt to undermine Rwanda’s security.

After British Foreign Secretary David Lamy held talks with the Heads of State of Rwanda and the DRC late last month, his country immediately imposed sanctions on Rwanda.

The UK also immediately approved £14.6 million in so-called emergency aid to the Congolese government to help the most vulnerable in the East, currently controlled by the M23 rebels.

On the other hand, Lord Collins, Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Great Lakes Region, said that Rwanda is working with the ADF terrorist group, which recently killed 70 civilians in a church in eastern Congo.

Although he wrote to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to apologize, it has not been officially refuted as it has not been officially announced to members of the British Parliament.

Ms. Yolande Makolo said that Rwanda has already sent a message to the UK requesting the next tranche of £50 million to be paid in April 2025 as stipulated in the agreement signed by the two countries.

Under the agreement, which was not formally terminated as signed, by the end of 2024 the UK had already paid Rwanda £270 million.

The agreement also provides for the UK to pay Rwanda a further instalment of £50 million in 2026.