Rwanda demand UK pays £50m for cancelled deportation scheme

is demanding Britain pays £50million for the cancelled migrant deportataion scheme. The Rwandan government has reportedly sent a formal notice invoicing the British Government for the amount which it had agreed to waive when it was announced .

Kigali claims that because London has yet to formally end the agreement it can come after the payment. News of Rwanda’s claim emerged after British Foreign Secretary suspended aid to Rwanda and raised the spectre of sanctions over the African country’s backing of the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo said in a statement reproduced by the that the UK breached the “trust and good faith” between the two countries as a result of its “unjustified” and “punitive” measures to “coerce” Rwanda into compromising its national security.

She accused Lord Collins of Highbury, Britain’s minister for , of making comments that have misled the public, echoed the DRC’s “propaganda machine” and undermined a peace process led by Africa.

Ms Makolo said Rwanda is now “following up” on the £50m to which, she claimed, the UK is legally bound.

Lord Collins had suggested Rwanda had links to the Allied Democratic Forces, a group linked to the Islamic State group based in Uganda and eastern DRC. The peer subsequently withdrew his comment.

Labour scrapped the Rwanda deportation deal when it came to power in July. It would have seen migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats sent to the nation’s capital.

The scheme was championed by the previous Conservative government and aimed at deterring further .

Britain had paid £220m to February last year, with three £50m payments due in April of this year, 2026 and 2027. The deal included a break clause which allowed Britain to terminate future payments.

The £50m now claimed by Rwanda is reportedly for this April’s payment. Ms Makolo said Britain asked Rwanda to “quietly” forgo the payment when they couldn’t transfer migrants to the country, with the formal notification of termination “forthcoming”. She said the UK failed to formally end the agreement. The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.

In a three-week offensive, M23 rebels have seized control of eastern Congo’s main city, Goma, and taken the second largest city, Bukavu.

The region is rich in gold and coltan, a key mineral for the production of capacitors used in consumer electronics, such as laptops and smartphones.

A Government spokesperson said: “The Home Secretary (Yvette Cooper) has been clear that the costly Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda wasted tax-payer money and should not continue.

“That is why we are bringing the partnership to an end and have redeployed resources to instead surge returns activity of those with no right to be here – with almost 19,000 returned since July. As stated clearly in notes verbale between the UK and Rwanda, no further payments in relation to this policy will be made and Rwanda has waived any additional payments.

“Our focus instead is on finally restoring order to the asylum system through tough enforcement of the rules, our new Border Security Command and introducing new legislation to give law enforcement greater powers than ever before to take down smuggling gangs for good.”

A UK Government source told the Express that once its Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill receives Royal Assent, the UK will give notice of its withdrawal from the agreement as per Article 23 of the Rwanda treaty.

The Safety of Rwanda Act will be formally repealed under the new Bill, which was introduced to Parliament on January 30. It is understood London has made it clear no more money will be sent to Rwanda, but payments already made to the African nation can’t be recovered.