Rwanda has commenced formal legal proceedings against the United Kingdom through the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, seeking financial compensation following the abrupt termination of a controversial migration agreement. The East African nation alleges that the UK government violated the terms of the bilateral treaty when Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared the arrangement “dead and buried” in July 2024 without prior consultation.
The agreement, initially established under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on April 25, 2024, stipulated that Britain would financially compensate Rwanda for accepting asylum seekers who had arrived illegally in the UK. However, the scheme faced immediate legal challenges, with the UK Supreme Court ruling it unlawful in 2023 due to violations of both domestic and international law. Only four individuals ultimately relocated to Rwanda voluntarily before the policy’s collapse.
Rwandan authorities contend that the UK’s unilateral withdrawal breached Article 18 of the treaty regarding financial arrangements and Article 19 concerning the resettlement of vulnerable refugees. The dispute centers around outstanding payments totaling £100 million, scheduled for April 2025 and 2026, which the UK requested Rwanda waive in anticipation of formal termination. While Rwanda indicated willingness to negotiate new financial terms upon proper treaty termination, discussions between the two nations ultimately failed to materialize.
International law expert Jonathan Musangwa argues that domestic court rulings do not automatically invalidate international treaty obligations. The arbitration tribunal must determine whether the UK lawfully terminated the agreement according to the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Previous estimates indicated the failed scheme had already cost British taxpayers £290 million in payments to Rwanda, with the current government maintaining it will not make further payments under the defunct agreement.