Yolande Makolo Quotes

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

What I can say about the treaty that we are working on right now is that we reinforce the guarantees that are in the MOU’s. So, it’ll be the provisions already there. The reinforcing of these guarantees in the treaty will address the concerns of the court and will reassure anyone who has any worries about asylum seekers being sent back to the country that they came from,”

We do hope they chose to stay with and following the footsteps of so many who have made Rwanda their home and have flourished here,

There are not many solutions. People are suffering, the asylum system is broken. It's being taken advantage of by criminal gangs that are exploiting people, making false promises. People are risking their lives in these dangerous crossings,

We are happy with the progress that we have made but we’re not there yet. We will continue to work even as the debate on migration reaches around the world. We’re busy doing the work that we’ve all done,” she said, adding that both Rwanda and the UK are determined to make the arrangement work.

“We will provide decent accommodation and look after all their essential needs. We also want to make it clear that if people apply for asylum in Rwanda and their claim is rejected, through the process that we will have here, they will still have a pathway to legal residency in Rwanda and we welcome people from everywhere,

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.

Rwanda and the UK operate from a position of mutual respect and open dialogue.“The Rwandan High Commissioner to the UK plays an important role in maintaining our strong bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom as we collaborate productively across many areas, including migration.”

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.”

On the wider issues covered in the piece, the broken global migration system is failing to protect the vulnerable, and empowering criminal smuggling gangs at an immeasurable human cost.”

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,”

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,”

Rwanda will maintain a welcoming policy and record of caring for refugees, adding that the political judgments made today were unjustified."

Rwanda will continue to play its role as a safe place for people, especially refugees and asylum seekers from across the globe looking for a place to call home. That is regardless of a recent court decision in the UK that purportedly deemed the country ‘unsafe’ for refugees.

Rwandans know what it is to be on the move, or to be displaced, just because of the history of our country,” Makolo said, reiterating why the country maintains an open policy for refugees, asylum seekers and other categories of people in need of safety,