The Rwandan government has announced it will accept up to 250 migrants from the United States under a new asylum agreement, though no details have been provided on who will be included or when the transfers will begin.
The deal, confirmed by government spokesperson Yolande Makolo, follows similar US arrangements with South Sudan and Eswatini as part of the Trump administration’s intensified deportation drive. The agreement comes after a separate Rwanda-UK asylum scheme was cancelled following a change of government in Britain.
Makolo stated that Rwanda retains the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement. Those arriving will receive training, healthcare and accommodation, she added, noting that “nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement”.
The US has defended third-country deportations as necessary when home nations refuse to accept returnees, but rights experts warn such moves risk breaching international law by sending people to countries where they may face torture or abuse. South Sudan and Eswatini both accepted small groups of deportees in July, raising concerns over their treatment.
Rwanda, a nation of 13 million people in Africa’s Great Lakes region, has been praised for its stability and infrastructure. However, President Paul Kagame’s government faces frequent allegations of human rights violations, suppression of dissent and involvement in conflict in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
