Rwanda has signed a multi-million dollar agreement with Britain to host asylum seekers and migrants of various nationalities seeking to enter the United Kingdom, authorities in Kigali said Thursday.
The aim, for London, is to crack down on illegal migration.
“Rwanda welcomes this partnership with the United Kingdom to welcome asylum seekers and migrants, and provide them with legal avenues of residence” in the African nation, Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta said in a statement issued during a visit by British Home Secretary Priti Patel.
The announcement comes hours before a speech by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was expected to outline his government’s plan to tackle illegal immigration and small boat crossings of the English Channel.
Boris Johnson was elected in part on a promise to reduce illegal immigration, but his term in office has so far been marked by a record number of crossings of the English Channel.
The agreement with Rwanda will be funded by the U.K. to the tune of 120 million pounds ($157 million, or 144 million euros).
