Yolande Makolo Quotes

We’re partnering with the UNHCR and the African Union to bring migrants who were stranded in Libya to safety in Kigali. Over 1,000 migrants have passed through this centre, many have been relocated to other countries.”This is just an illustration of Rwanda’s commitment to protecting refugees & vulnerable people around the world -a principle which always governs our international policy,

There was “no truth whatsoever in Burundian President’s allegation referring to Rwanda.”

Rwandans have been refugees for 30 years from 1959 and the post-1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which saw millions more displaced to different neighbouring countries and beyond but later came back.

Rwanda has received members of the School of Leadership of Afghanistan (SOLA), that first Afghan girls boarding school, who moved from Kabul to Rwanda for their own safety after the Taliban swept to power in 2021, all of which goes to show that Rwanda is safe. They’ve been here, close to two years and they live amongst us and the school started running immediately when they got here, and they’re bringing in new Afghani girls from refugee camps all over the world to join the school,”

Because of Rwanda’s recent history, our country has a deep connection to the plight of those seeking safety and opportunity in a new land. This has shaped Rwanda’s approach to migration and asylum issues, and it is why Rwanda is the right place to support those looking for sanctuary and opportunity. “This continues to be central to Rwanda’s reconstruction journey. Discrimination of any form is not tolerated here. This is enshrined in our constitution and upheld by our commitments to the rule of law.”

When the first flight lands here in Kigali, the new arrivals will be welcomed and will be looked after and supported to make new lives here. We will provide support with their asylum applications, including legal support and translation services,”

MONUSCO, which has been in DRC since 1999, has since come under fire from Congolese populations who accuse it of failing the country. Until recently, MONUSCO had said that there is no evidence that Rwanda is involved in the renewed insurgency in Eastern DRC.

They are not taken into consideration by other parts of the UN system, but this information has to be used to ensure the protection of all civilians, including Rwandans.”

We’re not the only country facing these challenges,” she said, adding that the government is working with partners, including the UK, to address these issues and with the right investments in the program, the challenges will be addressed over the next five years.

We do not want any spillover of the conflict in DR Congo into Rwanda. And we have put in place measures to ensure that it doesn't spill over.”

It is entirely a different issue because the laws in the country apply to nationals and non-national, pointing out that there are no exceptions when it comes to breaking the law.

This is ultimately a decision for the UK’s judicial system. However, we do take issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe third country for asylum seekers and refugees, in terms of refoulement. Rwanda and the UK have been working together to ensure the integration of relocated asylum seekers into Rwandan society,

Kigali entered the migration and economic development partnership "for the right reasons," including the need to address "bigger questions of inequality in opportunities" between the Global North and the South.

We will give them an opportunity to see what it’s like to live in this country. We do not consider living in Rwanda as a punishment. We don’t think anyone should,

We don't want to lose people to these desperate journeys across the Sahara and across the Mediterranean Sea. We're losing brain power in Africa. We want young Africans to remain here and to build the continent,