Johnson defends migrant deal

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his controversial migrant deal with Rwanda on a visit to the country yesterday, telling critics to “keep an open mind”.

On the first day of a trip to Kigali, which is hosting a Commonwealth summit this week, he also heaped praise on Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the achievements of the east African country, despite widespread concerns about its human rights record. The UK-Rwanda scheme, which involves Britain deporting asylum seekers to the country located thousands of miles away, has provoked a storm of outrage.

“Rwanda has undergone an absolute transformation in the last couple of decades,” said the British leader.

He held talks with Kagame about the deal and other issues, including the war in Ukraine, his office said.

Rights groups, church leaders and the UN have denounced the migrant arrangement, which has threatened to overshadow this week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. One of the harshest opponents is Britain’s Prince Charles, who said it was “appalling”.

Johnson said he would speak about

the merits of the deal when he meets Charles, who is also in Rwanda as Queen Elizabeth II’s representative at the Commonwealth summit. The British leader said it was vital to resolve the problem of “illegal cross-Channel trafficking of people whose lives are being put at risk by the gangs”.

A first flight of a small group of asylum seekers had been due to take off from the UK last week but it was halted following a last-minute injunction by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Johnson accused critics of the policy of basing their concerns on “a perception, perhaps a stereotype, of Rwanda that is now outdated”.

The country of almost 13 million people has been indelibly marked by the 1994 genocide but now lays claim

to being one of the most politically stable and economically developed countries in the region. But in an open letter to Commonwealth leaders ahead of the summit, 23 rights groups and civil society organisations said there was a “climate of fear” in Rwanda. It accused the 54-nation Commonwealth of turning a blind eye to Rwanda’s rights record.

The summit is expected to see a tussle for the leadership of the body, which represents 2.5 billion people, and renewed talk about its future role and relevance.

Johnson welcomed Rwanda’s “moral stance” on the war in Ukraine after his meeting with Kagame. The two men discussed ways to address the fallout from Russia’s invasion.