Legal Challenge Claims UK Ministry Officials Questioned Rwanda Asylum Policy

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been hailed in the West for three decades for stopping a genocide of his Tutsi ethnic group during the 1990-1994 civil war. But since 2015 he has come under fire in the West over a constitutional amendment allowing him to serve a third term of office.

The group behind a legal challenge to resettling illegal immigrants who claim asylum in Rwanda says official records show civil servants had fears about the policy.

Documents submitted by the government to the High Court in London for a preliminary hearing — six weeks before the main case begins — show concerns were raised over Rwanda's "human rights" record.

One reveals the UK High Commissioner to the east African nation noted in February 2021 that Rwanda had been accused of recruiting refugees to fight in conflicts in neighbouring countries. A week later, the government put Rwanda on its amber/red list for concerns over its asylum system and human rights "concerns".

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office memo from May 20, 2021 advised against the deal with Rwanda over "significant human rights concerns," while another argued there was "limited evidence about whether these proposals will be a sufficient deterrent for those seeking to enter the UK illegally".

Another memo dated April 12, 2022, the day before Home Secretary Priti Patel signed the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda, warned the "fraud risk is very high" from payments included in the deal.

The Home Office later shared a report on Rwanda's human rights record with the government in Kigali to comment on, allowing officials to suggest changes to it.

The legal challenge is being brought by Care4Calais, a charity that aids migrants squatting in camps such as the Calais 'Jungle' while seeking a trafficking route into Britain, and the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union. PCS organises staff in local offices of government agencies, not civil servants in the Whitehall ministries.

PCS head of bargaining Paul O’Connor called the information in the government documents "extraordinary".

"They paint a picture of a home secretary desperate to railroad this policy through even in the face of serious reservations being raised by senior departmental officials," O'Connor claimed. "The documents before the court indicate that the home secretary is well aware of human rights violations in Rwanda."

"Serious concerns were raised internally about the Rwanda policy," added Care4Calais founder Clare Moseley. "The home secretary has complete disregard for the lives of people who have already experienced unimaginable trauma."

Although a former German and later Belgian colony, Rwanda was admitted to the UK-led Commonwealth of Nations in 2009, despite a critical report from the organisation's own human rights agency. This year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was held in Kigali.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been hailed in the West for three decades for stopping a genocide of his Tutsi ethnic group by the previous government led by Hutu Juvénal Habyarimana during the 1990-1994 civil war.

But in 2015 he drew fire from the US and European governments after a national referendum amended the constitution to raise the presidential term limit from two to three — while shortening the term of office from seven to five years.

The same year, neighbouring Burundi accused Kagame's government of harbouring and aiding opposition forces who made a failed coup attempt against then-president Pierre Nkurunziza.