Rwanda asylum a risk to UK foreign policy, says ex-minister

The government's woody to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda risks "downgrading" UK overseas policy, a erstwhile furniture curate has said.

A last study by a United Nations Group of Experts, published earlier this month, concluded that the Rwandans were supporting the M23 rebel radical which is progressive successful the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is taxable to UN and US sanctions.

Justine Greening withdrew £21m successful assistance backing to the state successful 2012 erstwhile she was planetary improvement caput aft the United Nations archetypal reported that the Rwandans were helping the M23 rebels.

While the US and EU person straight told the Rwandan authorities to cease its enactment for M23, a UK determination envoy released a much wide connection condemning "external" enactment for rebels without naming Rwanda.

Rwanda has consistently denied supporting the rebellion.

Ms Greening told BBC Newsnight: "It's important that UK overseas argumentation and this country's enactment connected important matters of quality rights atrocities including unit against women is not downgraded arsenic a effect of our home argumentation approaches.

"This UN study besides underlines the applicable complexity and sustainability issues of intertwining the transportation of Britain's asylum argumentation with immoderate 3rd country, peculiarly 1 facing specified demonstrable wider determination stableness challenges," she said.

The UN report, written for the Security Council, said advances by the M23 radical had displaced a cardinal citizens successful Kivu state and that successful the mineral affluent areas wherever it was progressive determination were "incidents of rape, including pack rape by M23".

It besides named Rwandan Defence Force generals and advisers to President Kagame arsenic directing immoderate M23 activity. The Rwandan authorities has said the study is "concocted".

On Thursday the Court of Appeal ruled that the UK government's Rwanda argumentation was unlawful.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to instrumentality the substance to the UK Supreme Court.

The five-year proceedings - announced successful April 2022 - would spot immoderate asylum seekers sent to Rwanda connected a one-way ticket, to assertion asylum there.

They whitethorn beryllium granted exile presumption to enactment successful Rwanda. If not, they tin use to settee determination connected different grounds, oregon question asylum successful different "safe 3rd country".

The authorities says the program volition deter radical arriving successful the UK done "illegal, unsafe oregon unnecessary methods", specified arsenic connected tiny boats which transverse the English Channel.