Yolande Makolo Quotes

Rwanda is committed to its international obligations, and we have been recognized by the UNHCR and other international institutions for our exemplary treatment of refugees,”

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,

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.

“Those are being addressed or they’ve already been addressed in the MOU. They will just be reinforced in the treaty,” she said, adding that it is not to confirm that the fears raised by the court were real but rather an effort to give more assurances to those still in doubt.

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,”

If the partnership with the UK works out as expected, it will be a solution to the global migration challenges, resulting from recent upheavals across the world which have led to many people fleeing their countries, posing a challenge for others, with no immediate solution in place

Rwanda has successfully that it is one of the safest countries for refugees as it has been attested by those who were evacuated from Libya, some of whom viewed being relocated to Rwanda as a dream come true, compared to the situation they were in before.

We want to build these opportunities here. We want people to come and live with us here, to build these opportunities and to benefit from the opportunities and make this a place of opportunity, a continent of opportunities

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,

We want to offer both [safety and economic opportunities] here and we want to do it in a way that makes sense and corrects the imbalance in opportunities between the global south and the north,” she said, adding that it would also remove the perception that opportunities are in the north.

The UK-Rwanda partnership is seen as a model that can salvage thousands of young people, men, women and children from making desperate journeys across seas looking for safety as asylum seekers or economic opportunities.

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’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.

Rwanda is still dealing with challenges including inflation, increased cost of living but the government is working around the clock to cushion citizens and anyone else living in Rwanda from these shocks.

Asylum seekers relocated from the UK will not have a choice, pointing out that among other choices, Rwanda and the UK have been working together to ensure that they are integrated in the Rwandan society. “They will have a choice to live here with us and work. They will be facilitated to do that. With the partnership that we’re working on with the UK, we will ensure that they get these opportunities there, they will receive the safety that they need and they will get training in language and other skills,” “They will be able to go to school and they will live amongst us in Rwanda if they do want to go back home. We will not be deporting anyone or sending people back to dangerous situations, but they will have a choice to go back home if they want to,”