UK asylum seekers hide to avoid transfer to Rwanda
Asylum seekers from Libya arrive in Rwanda in December 2020. A new batch of 133 asylum seekers from Libya has landed in Rwanda. PHOTO | FILE | NMG
What you need to know:
- Under the partnership between the United Kingdom and Rwanda that was signed last month, people who cross into the UK illegally will be transferred to Rwanda, where their paperwork will be processed.
Aid agencies in Britain say some asylum seekers have gone into hiding for fear of being sent to Rwanda, from where they will be resettled.
Under the partnership between the United Kingdom and Rwanda that was signed last month, people who cross into the UK illegally will be transferred to Rwanda, where their paperwork will be processed.
The British Red Cross and the Refugee Council have warned that the threat of transfer to Africa has seen some of the asylum seekers disappear from hotels, while others resort to self-harm, including attempted suicide.
The agencies accuse the UK government of a breach of the duty of care as some asylum seekers have declined to seek medical and mental healthcare for fear they would be enrolled in the programme.
