EXCLUSIVE : Rwanda is a safe country after all, says EU, UNHCR, and African Union

How can any British human rights lawyers argue it's not? (Part II)

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2023

Brexit Facts4EU.Org and CIBUK.Org blow the lid off the whole Rwanda controversy

In the first part of this report published yesterday, we revealed that for years the EU has quietly been funding UNHCR flights of illegal migrants to Rwanda.

In Part II today we present incontrovertible evidence in the words of the EU, UNHCR and the African Union that Rwanda is deemed "a safe country"

An explosive report by the Brexit Facts4EU.Org think-tank for CIBUK and the media

Part One : The EU has been giving the UNHCR millions to fly migrants to Rwanda (YESTERDAY)
Part Two - The evidence Rwanda is a safe country, in the words of the EU, the UNHCR, and the African Union (THIS REPORT)

Here are the facts according to the African Union

“Due to the deteriorating security situation in and around the Libyan capital of Tripoli, on 10 September 2019, the African Union, the Government of the Republic of Rwanda and UNHCR signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up an Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) for evacuating refugees and asylum seekers out of Libya.”

Photo right: © African Union Commission, Rwanda

“The group is principally made up of people originating from the Horn of Africa and includes children and youth at risk. After their arrival, UNHCR will continue to pursue solutions for the evacuees. While some may benefit from resettlement to third countries, others will be helped to return to countries where asylum had previously been granted, or to return to their home countries if it is safe to do so. Some may be given permission to remain in Rwanda subject to agreement by the competent authorities.”

And here is what the UNHCR announced THIS YEAR

Montage © UNHCR/Eric Didier Karinganire 2023

“The European Union has announced a €22 million support package to the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) in Rwanda operated by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Government of Rwanda.
“The ETM provides a life-saving channel to evacuate refugees and asylum seekers in need of international protection from Libya to Rwanda. While these individuals temporarily remain in Rwanda, the ETM provides shelter as well as access to health, psychosocial support, and livelihood trainings for evacuees during the processing of their files and identification of future solutions, including onward resettlement to third countries.”
“The EU also funds another ETM in Niger, through which more than 4,000 refugees and asylum seekers have been evacuated out of Libya since 2017.”

The contradictory evidence from the UNHCR to British courts

The UNHCR states that it "advised" the High Court and continued to "advise" the Supreme Court in the United Kingdom on the Rwanda question.

“We are not a claimant in the proceedings but advised the court on matters of international refugee law and remain ready to provide any further advice as needed. UNHCR’s role in the litigation has, throughout the case, been in our capacity as the UN Refugee Agency with a mandate to supervise the application of the 1951 Refugee Convention worldwide.
“Our longstanding and well-known concerns about the “externalization” of asylum obligations remain. UNHCR considers that the UK-Rwanda arrangement contravenes the UK’s international obligations and fails to meet the required standards relating to the legality and appropriateness of transfers of asylum-seekers. We continue to urge the Government of the United Kingdom to instead pursue other measures, including cooperation with the UK’s European neighbours and fair and fast asylum procedures, that would be more humane, efficient, and cost-effective.”

- UNHCR press release, 19 December 2022

We conclude with the words of the EU’s own Ambassador to Rwanda

Belén Calvo Uyarra has served as EU Ambassador to Rwanda since September 2022. She is committed to further deepening and expanding the already strong partnership between the EU and Rwanda. This year the Spaniard Ms Calvo Uyarra said:

“The Emergency Transit Mechanism in Rwanda is a crucial life-saving initiative to evacuate people facing major threats and inhumane conditions in Libya to safety in Rwanda.”

Photo right: EU's Ambassador in Rwanda this year, © EU Delegation Rwanda

The EU and Rwanda - "shared values of democracy, governance and human rights"

"The EU and Rwanda have a long-standing partnership at multilateral, regional and bilateral level. We cooperate to address today’s global challenges, from fighting COVID19 and climate change, to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as to promoting peace and a rules based multilateral order. The EU-AU Joint vision for 2030, guides our renewed partnership among equals to build a common future.
"Our partnership is based on shared values of democracy, governance and human rights; on joint interests and mutual respect; and on the ownership of Rwandans of the destiny of their country."

- Belen Calvo Uyarra, Ambassador of the EU in Rwanda, current official welcome message from her on the EU's website, accessed Mon 16 Oct 2023.

Observations

The EU’s and UN’s hypocrisy and duplicity must be called out

To read the criticisms from the UNHCR and the EU of the UK Government's plan to send illegal migrants to Rwanda for processing, one would expect to read condemnation from both bodies of the conditions in Rwanda. The UNHCR has even gone further, and has been "advising" the UK's Supreme Court in the current case, in order to prevent the UK Government's Rwanda policy from taking off.

Instead, one finds the opposite. There is nothing but praise for this African country. Both organisations consider it to be a safe place to which to fly migrants - and have been doing so themselves for years.

After eight years the Brexit Facts4EU.Org team has almost become inured to the anti-British invective of organisations such as the EU Commission, the UNHCR, and the ECHR. This does not stop us, however, from publishing a damning indictment of their behaviour, using their own words to show up their duplicity.

We will end with two questions. Why does it fall to Facts4EU.Org and CIBUK.Org to bring this information to the public? Where are the BBC, the Guardian, Channel 4, the FT, and the New York Times on this?

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[ Sources: UNHCR | African Union | EU Commission ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Mon 16 Oct 2023

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Reader Comments 3

1. Jon, Wales , Monday, October 16, 2023, 07:00:

As usual, this two part article should remind government and ALL parliamentarians that we in the UK are being taken for fools - well we're not fools, and in my opinion we should not have to wait for the UK Supreme Court to throw out the case, when it is clear beyond all doubts that Rwanda is deemed a safe country.
When Prime Minister Sunak is today at the despatch box, he should confirm the same, and declare a National Security emergency as we have no idea who comes across the channel. These illegals could of course use legal routes like getting a plane ticket, for example. This would cost them much less, but they probably know they require a visa which would fail.
Whilst Mr Sunak is at it, he SHOULD declare every EU country is a safe country, and by definition, those crossing from France illegally cannot be considered for asylum.
They have come from a safe country, and come through many other EU safe countries, period.
The UK wide electorate should in my opinion demand Sunak retrieves UK taxpayers money from France - WE DON'T PAY FRENCH POLICE TO DO THEIR JOB.
We pay only for our own police service. As far as I'm aware, UK Prime Minister Sunak has ZERO mandate to hand UK taxpayers money to a foreign entity?

2. Old Albion , Monday, October 16, 2023, 12:02:

Government have had years to deal with this issue and are defeated every time by Lefty lawyers using human rights. There is only one way to deal with it. Withdraw from ECHR.

3. Adam Hiley , Monday, October 16, 2023, 19:36:

The Conservatives must withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights and the UN Convention on Refugees 1951 they would win a comfortable majority and We would be spared a Hardleft Starmer Government the UN has no business interfering in our internal affairs it's a peacekeeping organisation as it was founding as such in 1945 like the EU it has morphed from a reasonable organisation to a bureaucratic monstrosity

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