Rwanda Files Arbitration Case Against Britain Over Scrapped Asylum Deal

Rwanda has filed an arbitration case against the United Kingdom over the cancellation of a controversial asylum agreement scrapped by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in 2024.

In a statement published on X and in a notice submitted to the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Rwandan government said Britain breached the financial terms of the migration partnership.

Under the original agreement, reached before Starmer took office, the UK was to pay Rwanda to accept migrants who had entered Britain illegally. However, the plan was repeatedly delayed by legal challenges and only four people were eventually relocated voluntarily.

Rwanda said Britain requested in 2024 that it waive two payments of £50 million ($69 million) each, due in April 2025 and April 2026, ahead of the formal termination of the treaty.

According to Kigali, it agreed in principle, on the condition that the agreement was formally ended and new financial terms were negotiated. However, the Rwandan government said talks never took place and the payments remain outstanding under the treaty.

Prime Minister Starmer has defended the decision to cancel the scheme, saying it wasted taxpayers’ money and that no further payments would be made.

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years. In 2025, Britain suspended some aid to Rwanda over allegations of Kigali’s involvement in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwanda has faced international criticism over claims that it supports the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo. The government has denied the accusations, blaming Congolese and Burundian forces for renewed fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.