Rwanda tells court Britain owes $115m for scrapped asylum plan
Accommodation facilities in Kigali prepared under the UK–Rwanda migration agreement.
Rwanda told the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that Britain owes $115 million linked to a cancelled migrant resettlement agreement, as reported by Africa News via AP on March 18th.
The case centres on a 2022 deal under which migrants arriving in the United Kingdom by boat or as stowaways were to be transferred to Rwanda for asylum processing. Those granted protection would remain in the country.
Rwanda’s Justice Minister and Attorney General, Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, said the country had established an asylum appeals chamber, administrative structures, and reception facilities. He told the court that these steps would involve high costs.
Ugirashebuja said the agreement was cancelled without prior notice after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government took office.
He said the Rwandan government had launched arbitration proceedings against the UK in January over the dispute.
In the proceedings, Rwanda also alleged that Britain breached the agreement by failing to resettle vulnerable refugees from Rwanda, as required under the deal.
The British government has asked the court to dismiss the claim, arguing that both countries agreed in November 2024 that Rwanda would not expect further payments. Rwanda disputes this, saying it never agreed to waive the funds.
Legal analyst Joelle Grogan said the arbitration is likely to focus on whether that understanding can be proven. She said Rwanda maintains it is still owed the funds, while Britain argues the obligation was waived.
The arbitration proceedings began in January after Rwanda said the deal had been cancelled without consultation. The case is expected to take months before a decision is reached.
The policy was introduced under former prime minister Rishi Sunak as part of efforts to deter irregular migration, which included payments to Rwanda to cover implementation costs.
Britain’s Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the plan was unlawful, citing concerns that Rwanda could not be considered a safe third country for migrants.
Although the UK ruling rejected Rwanda as a safe third country, the US finalised a deal to deport migrants to Rwanda in August 2025.
Under the US-Rwanda deal, migrants will be accepted only if they have completed their prison sentences or do not have outstanding criminal cases.
Africa News via AP, Associated Press, Maghrebi.org
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