The new ‘Rwanda deal’ was a shock to Rwandans. We know this is no place for asylum seekers

The UK’s home secretary, James Cleverly (right), and Rwanda’s foreign minister, Vincent Biruta, signed a new treaty in Kigali, Rwanda, on 5 December 2023. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

I came to learn about the scheme to transfer UK-based asylum seekers to Rwanda back in April 2022 when it was announced. Incredibly, the arrangement had not been discussed in public before, and even since it was signed there has been minimal debate on it.

I was among the few who publicly disapproved of the scheme, but I could only do so on social media and in foreign publications and channels, as local media would not dare give me the platform.