The deal between the UK government, led by the Conservative Party, and Rwanda was signed in April 2022 and revised in December 2023 after doubts arose over the security of migrants while in Kigali.

In an interview with journalist Nick Ferrari of LBC, Minister Nduhungirehe explained that Rwanda was surprised by the security concerns raised in the UK after it had agreed to help the UK address the migrant issue.

“We have strong relations with the UK, and then we are working with the Labour government to terminate the migration partnership that we had worked on with the previous government, so that we can focus on our other projects and policies between our two countries,” he said.

Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, upon being elected as the new UK Prime Minister, stated that he would stop the deal.

When asked by Ferrari how the UK government had informed Rwanda about its decision to halt the program, Minister Nduhungirehe responded that Rwanda had not been formally notified, and it was initially disappointing.

“We knew it even through the campaign, electoral campaign. The Labour Party had stated on several occasions that they would repeal this partnership, and we knew when the results came out that this migration partnership would be repealed. We then worked with the government,” he noted.

“Initially, we were a bit disappointed with how this was handled, as we were not formally notified with the initial announcement in the media. But later on, we managed to speak with the government, including the Home Secretary and other officials, to work on how to terminate this migration partnership,” Nduhungirehe added.

UK High Commissioner to Rwanda, Alison Thorpe, during a press briefing in Kigali on October 2, 2024, suggested that it seems unlikely that the UK government would reinstate the program, as they have introduced other measures to deter illegal migrants.

The diplomat stated that after Starmer halted the agreement, it was expected that the UK Parliament would approve the decision, and the UK government would formally notify Rwanda in accordance with legal procedures.

Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe has revealed that Rwanda and UK are working together on termination of the migration partnership.

The Migration and Economic Development Partnership between Rwanda and UK was signed in April 2024.