The agreement, initially announced by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and formalized in 2022 under Rishi Sunak's mandate, stipulated that migrants who arrived illegally on British territory could be transferred to Rwanda for their asylum applications to be processed there.
If they obtained international protection, the applicants would remain in the African country and would not return to the UK. The stated goal was to deter illegal crossings of the English Channel and weaken the human trafficking networks that facilitate the arrival of migrants on British shores.
The program was presented by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and formalized in 2022.
In exchange for taking on that responsibility, Rwanda would receive significant financial compensation intended to fund the reception, accommodation, and processing of asylum seekers.
The United Kingdom will not have to pay tens of millions of pounds to Rwanda following the cancellation of the agreement to deport asylum seekers to the African country, after an international arbitration court rejected the economic claims made by Kigali.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, concluded that Rwanda waived the additional payments contemplated in the agreement after a series of diplomatic exchanges with London following the rise to power of the socialist British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who canceled the program in 2024.
The decision represents a significant victory for the British Labour government, which has sought to distance itself from one of the toughest immigration policies against illegal immigration promoted by previous Conservative governments since taking office.
According to documents published by the court, Rwanda argued that the UK remained obligated to make payments scheduled for 2025 and 2026 despite the cancellation of the agreement. Kigali sought at least 60 million pounds sterling, although other references in the process indicated that the amounts in dispute corresponded to two annual disbursements included in the original pact.
The socialist Prime Minister of the United Kingdom canceled the program under which migrants from Rwanda were sent to their home country.
The panel of three arbitrators determined by majority that the diplomatic communications exchanged between both governments in November 2024 demonstrated that Rwanda had agreed to waive the payments scheduled for April 2025 and April 2026. The decision regarding the first payment was adopted by majority, while the one concerning the second was unanimous.
The British government celebrated the ruling and defended the decision to end the program. ''The UK firmly defended its position and the court has ruled in our favor on all aspects,'' said a government spokesperson.
For its part, the Rwandan government stated that it respects the judicial decision and considers the litigation closed, although it indicated that some elements of the case could lead to different legal interpretations.
''Rwanda will continue to work constructively with its international partners, guided by international norms and mutually beneficial cooperation,'' declared government spokesperson Yolande Makolo.
The Rwandan government assured that they respect the decision of the international court and considers that the litigation is closed.
What was the agreement between the UK and Rwanda about?
The so-called ''Rwanda Plan'' was conceived by the British Conservative government as a tool to reduce irregular immigration to the UK.
The initiative was presented by the Conservatives as an innovative measure to regain control of the borders. However, left-wing humanitarian organizations and other international bodies denounced that it could violate fundamental rights and put at risk people seeking protection.
A project marked by controversies
Since its announcement, the plan faced numerous judicial obstacles. In June 2022, a first flight with migrants destined for Rwanda was blocked by last-minute decisions issued by European courts.
Subsequently, in November 2023, the British Supreme Court concluded that the program was illegal in its original formulation. The judges considered that there was a risk that some transferred individuals could be sent to countries where they faced persecution or threats to their safety.
Although the Conservative government attempted to modify the legislation to overcome those objections, the initiative continued to face legal challenges and was never fully implemented.
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has ruled the product illegal on several occasions.
Finally, following the Labour Party's electoral victory in July 2024, Keir Starmer formally canceled the program as soon as he took office. During the electoral campaign, he had described the project as a ''political ploy'' and a ''scandalous waste of public money''.
According to the current British government, the program cost approximately 700 million pounds to taxpayers without producing the promised results. In fact, only four people were voluntarily transferred to Rwanda before the agreement was abandoned.
