The UK Supreme Court ruled on 15 November 2023 that sending asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful. The plan would have seen tens of thousands of asylum seekers sent from the UK to Rwanda, which would then process and host such refugees indefinitely.
Along with countless refugee and human rights groups – including the United Nations – I raised red flags about the plan and welcome the decision to halt it. My research and work over more than a decade has focused on the livelihoods and survival of refugees in east Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region.
The UK court’s decision is grounded in the view that Rwanda is unsafe for asylum seekers because it might force them to return to their home country. Forced return is against international human rights law as refugees and asylum seekers may be persecuted again in their country of origin.
