Rwanda believes the migrant deal, abandoned by the new British government, does not provide for the repayment of money it has already received.

Rwanda warned on Tuesday, July 9, that a controversial migrant deal struck with the United Kingdom, but abandoned by the new British government, does not provide for the recovery of money already paid by London. “The agreement we signed did not stipulate the return of the money.”Rwandan government deputy spokesman Alain Mukoralinda explained on state television.

Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Saturday, two days after the Labour Party's landslide victory in the legislative elections, the abandonment of this plan that aims to deport asylum seekers and migrants who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom to East African countries. The Labour Party leader said the plan put forward by the previous Conservative government was “died and buried”.

However, London has already paid Kigali £240 million (€280 million) as part of the deal since former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced it in April 2022. The UK Supreme Court ruled last November that the bill, which has been subject to a series of legal challenges, was illegal under international law. But in April, the British parliament approved it after an endless battle between the Senate, reluctant to challenge the controversial text, and the House of Representatives.