British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has challenged those who have invested in criticizing the recently signed Migration and Economic Development Partnership between Rwanda and the United Kingdom to consider visiting Rwanda and see the reality on the ground before uttering criticisms.
The Prime Minister was speaking exclusively to Channel 4, a British public-service television in Kigali on the sideline of the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
In the interview, PM Johnson told off those demonizing the partnership that “are basing their criticism on a perception, perhaps a stereotype of Rwanda that is now outdated and they should come here (to Rwanda) and see the kind of progress that the country has made.”
He reiterated that what Rwanda and UK have done is “an immense amount of due diligence” on the way things work both in the UK and in Rwanda and that everything in the partnership is in conformity with human rights as opposed to incessant allegations by those who are against the partnership.
Those protesting the migration partnership deal between Rwanda and the UK advance several alibis such as a Rwanda is “unsafe”, something that should be treated with the contempt it deserves as per PM Johnson’s comments.
“Rwanda has undergone an absolute transformation in the last couple of decades and you’ve got the whole of the Commonwealth here today in the capital city Kigali, which is a very, very safe place.” He noted
“They (Rwandans) have gone leaps and bound in their progress in education, in taking the society forward,” added the PM
Rwanda has made it clear that it only looks to prioritize the dignity and rights of the struggling asylum seekers and refugees. The agreement seeks to break the channels of human-trafficking cartels who benefit from the modern-day slavery of trafficking human beings to Europe for illegal exploitation.
Rwanda has also explained that due to its recent history, the country has a deep connection to the plight of those seeking safety and opportunity in a new land.
It is against that backdrop that Rwanda already provided refuge for almost 130,000 refugees from multiple countries – including neighbours like the DR Congo and Burundi, as well as Afghanistan and migrants evacuated from Libya.
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