Rwanda, migrants: the government changes in the UK and therefore the agreement to transfer asylum seekers from London to Kigali is “dead and buried”, for now

ROME (DIRE Agency) – In Rwanda the government does not change, but in Great Britain it does. It so happens that the agreement to transfer asylum-seeking migrants from London to Kigali is “dead and buried” before it begins. These are the words of Keir Starmer, the new Labour Prime Minister who has put an end to 14 years of Conservative rule in the United Kingdom. The result? Arsenal still wins, or at least tries, with the “Visit Rwanda” sponsorship worth ten million pounds a year that remains proudly displayed on the sleeves of its players.

The arrival of the Labour Party in government. Both Starmer and newly re-elected Rwandan president Paul Kagame are big fans of Arsenal, although the club had persisted despite a British High Court ruling that Rwanda’s “poor human rights record” and the risk that asylum seekers could ultimately be sent back to the very countries they fled.

Kagame remains a reliable partner. This month, after Arsenal finished second in the league, qualifying for the Champions’ LeagueKagame was re-elected president with 99 percent of the vote. And he remains a reliable partner, useful to those who want to replicate operations like those imagined by the British Conservatives (or by the right-wing Italian government in Albania). It is written in a statement just published in Kigali: “Rwanda has always respected its part of the agreement, including the financial one, and remains committed to finding solutions to the global migration crisis, including by ensuring safety, dignity and opportunities for refugees and migrants arriving in our country”.