The demand comes amid growing tensions between the two countries over British sanctions against Rwanda due to allegations of involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) conflict.
The Rwandan government has issued an invoice to the UK, stating its legal right to the payment after Britain failed to formally terminate the agreement that would have allowed the UK to send illegal migrants arriving on small boats across the English Channel to Rwanda for processing.
Rwanda Government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the funds were initially expected to be waived in good faith after the deal was cancelled by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July. However, she described the recent measures, including the suspension of direct bilateral aid to Rwanda, as a 'breach of trust.'
'The UK had asked Rwanda to quietly forgo the payment based on the trust and good faith existing between our two nations. However, the UK has breached this trust through unjustified punitive measures.'
According to Makolo, the UK government's recent actions against Rwanda are unjustified and are intended to 'coerce Rwanda into compromising our national security.'
She also criticised recent comments by UK Minister for Africa, Lord Collins of Highbury, which linked Rwanda to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan terrorist group operating in the DRC, calling them 'inflammatory and irresponsible.'
'For these reasons, we are following up on these funds, to which the UK is legally bound,' she added.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied claims of backing M23 rebels operating in eastern DRC, insisting that the fighters are Congolese citizens fighting against decades of persecution and marginalisation of Kinyarwanda-speaking communities. Rwanda has also accused the international community of ignoring the root causes of the conflict, thereby hampering efforts to fully resolve it.
Under the original Migration and Economic Development Partnership, the UK had already transferred £220 million to Rwanda by February 2024, with three additional payments of £50 million scheduled for April 2024, 2025, and 2026. It is believed the £50 million now requested relates to the April 2025 payment.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer officially ended the scheme in July 2024, arguing that it would not effectively deter illegal migration.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
