The Rwandan government on Thursday said it remained committed to a United Kingdom plan to send asylum seekers to the African country.
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This comes despite a ruling by the UK’s Court of Appeal that the scheme was unlawful.
“Rwanda remains fully committed to making this partnership work,” government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told AFP.
“While this is ultimately a decision for the UK’s judicial system, we do take issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe country for asylum seekers and refugees.”
The court ruled on Thursday that the UK government’s plan to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda is unlawful.
The Court of Appeal judges said in their ruling that “unless deficiencies” in Rwanda’s asylum system were corrected, “removal of asylum seekers to Rwanda will be unlawful.”
According to the court, Rwanda could not be considered a “safe third country” where migrants from any country could be sent, Alarabiya News reports.
Former British prime minister Boris Johnson brought in the proposal to try to tackle record numbers of migrants crossing the Channel from northern France by small boats.
But it triggered a wave of protests from rights groups and charities, while last-gasp legal challenges successfully blocked the first deportation flights in June last year.
Makolo insisted that Rwanda was “one of the safest countries in the world” adding that “we have been recognized by the UNHCR and other international institutions for our exemplary treatment of refugees.”
“As a society, and as a government, we have built a safe, secure, dignified environment, in which migrants and refugees have equal rights and opportunities as Rwandans. Everyone relocated here under this partnership will benefit from this,” she added.
“When the migrants do arrive, we will welcome them and provide them with the support they’ll need to build new lives in Rwanda.”
President Paul Kagame has been Rwanda’s de facto leader since the end of the 1994 genocide.
The UK court said asylum seekers “would face a real risk of being returned to their countries of origin,” where they could be mistreated.
Meanwhile, Rwanda opposition leader Frank Habineza said sending migrants to his country “will be relinquishing responsibility of protecting those running to the U.K. for safety”.
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