Updated 1 July 2023: BBC: Rwanda asylum a risk to UK foreign policy, says ex-minister
The government’s deal to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda risks “downgrading” UK foreign policy, a former cabinet minister has said.
A final report by a United Nations Group of Experts, published earlier this month, concluded that the Rwandans were supporting the M23 rebel group which is active in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is subject to UN and US sanctions.
Justine Greening withdrew £21m in aid funding to the country in 2012 when she was international development secretary after the United Nations first reported that the Rwandans were helping the M23 rebels.
While the US and EU have directly told the Rwandan government to cease its support for M23, a UK regional envoy released a more general statement condemning “external” support for rebels without naming Rwanda.
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