Rwanda in talks with US to accept deported immigrants, says foreign minister

Olivier Nduhungirehe, the Rwandan foreign minister, says his country and the United States government are engaged in discussions on the potential transfer of deported immigrants to Rwanda.

Nduhungirehe spoke about the development in a late Sunday interview with Rwanda TV.

“We are in discussions with the United States,” he said.

“It has not yet reached a stage where we can say exactly how things will proceed, but the talks are ongoing… still in the early stages.”

Rwanda’s soft stance with the US follows a strained relationship with the United Kingdom (UK) after a deal to take in thousands of asylum seekers was scrapped.

The deal guaranteed Rwanda at least £370 million to resettle the asylum seekers in the East African country.

Three further payments, £50 million each, were expected to be made in April 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Yet, there has been no record of a single migrant being forcibly deported to the country.

In March, Rwanda billed the UK £50 million for its cancelled deportation scheme, escalating a diplomatic row between the two countries.

It is believed the £50 million requested by Rwanda is related to the payment for April 2025.

Rights groups have voiced concern about Rwanda as a choice for migrants’ relocation, alleging that Kigali does not respect some of the most fundamental human rights.