Team Blitz India
LONDON: The UK Government is slated to allocate a minimum of £370 million to Rwanda as part of its obligations within the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP), said a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of UK published on March 1.
The report emerges amid ongoing controversy surrounding the UK Government’s migration strategy to curb illegal immigration.
Despite backlash, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, seeking to designate Rwanda as a safe country to justify sending individuals who have illegally immigrated to the UK, progresses towards enactment in the UK.
The UK Government’s initiation of the MEDP with Rwanda in 2022 signifies a pivotal development. Under this partnership, asylum seekers entering the UK illegally are to be relocated to Rwanda, where they can lodge asylum claims.
The UK Government, in turn, has pledged to support Rwanda’s development by providing funding and covering processing and integration costs for each relocated individual. As per the report, investigation into the costs of the UK-Rwanda Partnership, the Home Office will disburse £370 million to Rwanda’s Government through the Economic Transformation and Integration Fund (ETIF).
Additional payments outlined in the agreement encompass a £20,000 contribution to the Fund for each relocated individual, a £120 million instalment upon relocating 300 individuals, and up to £150,874 per individual for processing and operational costs over five years.
