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Rwanda is demanding a $63.62 million payment from the United Kingdom after London scrapped a controversial asylum deal, a source close to the Rwandan government has revealed.
The dispute adds to the growing diplomatic tensions between the two countries, particularly after the UK suspended some aid to Rwanda over allegations of its involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The asylum deal, originally introduced under the previous Conservative government, aimed to send migrants who had illegally entered the UK to Rwanda in exchange for financial support. However, after taking office in July, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer canceled the policy, calling it ineffective and expensive.
Interior Minister Yvette Cooper later revealed that the plan had already cost UK taxpayers around $890 million. A government spokesperson defended the decision to scrap it, stating that “no further payments will be made” and that Rwanda had already agreed to waive any additional compensation.
However, Rwanda now claims that the UK has acted in bad faith. Kigali argues that Britain initially requested Rwanda to forgo the payment based on mutual trust, but then broke that trust by taking what it calls “punitive measures” against Rwanda, including the suspension of bilateral aid.
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Rwanda’s government spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, accused the UK of trying to pressure Rwanda into compromising its national security. “The UK had asked Rwanda to quietly forego the payment based on the trust and good faith between our two nations,” she said in a post on X. “However, the UK has breached this trust through unjustified punitive measures.”
The UK recently halted some aid to Rwanda due to accusations that Kigali is backing the M23 rebel group in eastern DRC, a claim Rwanda has repeatedly denied. The suspension of aid follows a wave of international criticism against Rwanda, with Canada and the European Union also taking measures against the country over its alleged role in the conflict.
What began as a migration policy has now become part of a much larger political standoff, raising questions about the future of UK-Rwanda cooperation.
