London: If the UK government has its way, the tens of thousands of migrants arriving on England´s southeastern shores each year, after crossing the Channel in small boats, will face swift deportation to Rwanda.
Although the controversial plan is on hold amid legal challenges, some of those who have completed the perilous journey said they are spooked by the prospect. “It´s really terrifying,” Abdulhakim, a 24-year-old Ethiopian who arrived in April, told AFP outside a London hotel where he has since been staying.
“In April, we used to talk about it,” he added, noting all the migrants in the discussions were “terrified” by the stalled policy which would be “devastating” for them. “Rwanda is not a safe place -- there was a genocide there!”
The UK government insists such views of the eastern African country, which saw a genocide in 1994 by Rwandan Hutu extremist groups against the Tutsi population, are outdated.
Ministers claim it is now a safe destination, but hope that the plan will act as a significant deterrent for those considering trying to reach Britain by small boats. A deal costing more than £120 million ($145 million) with Kigali, agreed in April by former prime minister Boris Johnson, will see all those who arrive illegally on British soil sent there.
They will be flown to east Africa before consideration of their asylum claims has even begun and, if eventually granted refuge, they will remain in Rwanda rather than return to the UK. The policy will apply irrespective of where applicants hail from.
On Monday, the High Court in London ruled it was lawful following a legal challenge by migrants and campaigners, prompting the government to say it hopes to start flights as soon as possible. Despite further legal action by opponents looking likely first, the mood among migrants already in Britain is fearful.
Mohammed, a 24-year-old Sudanese man who arrived by boat two years ago, said he “can´t sleep anymore” as the court battle unfolds. “This plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is very scary,” said Iranian Kurd Amir, another asylum-seeker living at the London hotel -- which sits in the shadow of the financial district´s gleaming towers -- while claiming asylum.