KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Rwanda says it is ready to accept migrants from the United Kingdom after the British Parliament passed a long-stalled and controversial bill this week that would curb the flood of people crossing the English Channel in small boats cross, by deporting some of them to the East African country.
There’s even a place waiting for the migrants – a renovated Hope Hostel in the lively, upscale neighborhood of Kagugu, an area of the Rwandan capital Kigali that’s home to many expatriates and several international schools.
The hostel once housed college students whose parents died in the 1994 genocide, the most horrific period in that African country’s history when an estimated 800,000 Tutsi were killed by Hutu extremists in massacres that lasted more than 100 days.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged that deportation flights would begin in July but declined to give details or say how many people would be deported.
Rwandan government deputy spokesman Alain Mukuralinda told The Associated Press on Tuesday that authorities here have been planning the migrants’ arrival for two years.
“Even if they arrive now or tomorrow, all arrangements are in place,” he said.
The plan was long held up by British courts and opposition from human rights activists who considered it illegal and inhumane. It proposes deporting some of those entering Britain illegally to Rwanda, and immigrant advocates have vowed to continue fighting the plan.
The measure is also intended to deter migrants who risk their lives in leaky inflatable boats in the hope of claiming asylum after arriving in Britain. The UK also signed a new treaty with Rwanda to improve protections for migrants and passed a new law declaring Rwanda a safe country.
“The Rwanda critics and the British judges who previously said Rwanda was not a safe country have been proven wrong,” Mukuralinda said. “Rwanda is safe.”
Management at the four-story Hope Hostel says the facility is ready and can accommodate 100 people at full capacity. The government says it will serve as a transit center and that additional accommodation will be made available if needed.
Thousands of migrants arrive in Britain every year.
After arriving from Britain, migrants are shown to their rooms where they can rest. They will then be offered food and given some landmarks about Kigali and Rwanda, said hostel manager Ismael Bakina.
Tents will be set up on the hostel grounds to process documents and for various briefings. The site is equipped with surveillance cameras that are visible throughout the site.
There are also entertainment facilities on site, a mini football pitch, a basketball court and a volleyball court, as well as a red-carpeted prayer room. For those who want to build a fire, “there is even a smoking room,” Bakina explained.
Meals will be prepared in the hostel’s main kitchen, but arrangements will also be made for those who wish to prepare their own meals, he said. Migrants are free to leave the hostel and even visit nearby Kigali city center.
“We will have different translators depending on the language,” Bakina added, saying they also included English and Arabic.
The government has said that migrants’ papers will be processed within the first three months. Those who wish to remain in Rwanda are allowed to do so, while authorities are also supporting those who wish to return to their home countries.
While migrants gaining legal status – presumably for the UK – are also being processed in Rwanda, authorities have said, although it is unclear exactly what that means.
For those who choose to stay, Mukurilinda said the Rwandan government would have full financial and other responsibilities for five years, after which they would be considered integrated into society.
From this point on, they can begin self-management.
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