PRITI Patel says "Rwanda is a safe country", and she wouldn’t lie. Would she?
Well, a court did rule the Home Secretary had not been straight about the accommodation in which she housed refugees.
She said Napier Barracks – where a Covid outbreak infected almost 200 people – had been “adapted in line with and in light of Public Health England guidance”. A judge found it had not.
But she wouldn’t lie again, would she?
She did deny bullying staff – only for an investigation to find that she had in fact done so.
Then, the statistics watchdog did find Patel had told fibs when she claimed crime was down – it was actually up overall.
She also got called out by the UN after claiming the organisation backed her Rwanda scheme. They don't.
But ignore all that. When Patel says that Rwanda is a “safe” country, we can believe what she says. Right?
Except the UK Government’s own website seems to contradict her.
On the foreign travel advice page for Rwanda, under “safety and security”, there are a few interesting points which give an insight into what Patel considers “safe”.
First, there’s the warning to “remain vigilant” in case of “grenade attacks”.
It says that “genocide memorial sites, markets, bus stops, and taxis” have been targets, and that “further indiscriminate attacks cannot be ruled out”. Very safe.
Next, there are warnings about travelling to the south, west, or southwest of the country due to a risk of “armed incursions”.
In the west, the danger comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which the UK Government warns is “unstable, and conflict can flare up with little notice”.
It adds: “There have been incidents of violent clashes on the DRC-Rwanda border in recent years, and armed incursions into the southwest of Rwanda.”
The website further warns that, along the southern border with Burundi, there have been “allegations from both sides of cross-border raids targeting local inhabitants”.
On a less martial note, the Government page also states that “levels of health and safety in Rwanda are lower than in the UK”, adding: “There have been incidences of buildings and construction sites collapsing, causing deaths and serious injuries.”
It further adds that, due to “poor wiring and substandard electrical cables”, people should be careful when using electronics in case of starting a fire.
Away from the UK Government’s own website, The National’s own David Pratt highlights how Rwanda is known for having a track record of “transnational repression”.
He writes: “All the world over there is evidence of the regime conducting systematic assassinations, attempted killings, kidnappings and intimidation of Rwandan opposition leaders, human rights activists and journalists.”
“Most serious Africa watchers and experts know [Rwandan President Paul Kagame] to be a ruthless, self-serving control freak,” Pratt adds.
Sounds like a “safe” country. Unless Patel’s telling porkies.
