Unease as Rwanda gears up for arrival of UK migrants
By Barbara Plett Usher
Hope Hostel in Rwanda has been ready to receive Britain’s unwanted migrants for 664 days.
Now, as the UK government pushes to get the legislation approved, the Rwandan government wants to fill these echoing rooms and halls within a matter of weeks.
Rwanda has largely stood back and watched the legal wrangling in Britain over the controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to this East African country.
UK courts have put Kigali’s human rights record in the spotlight by demanding more protections for those sent here.
In the meantime, Rwanda has meticulously prepared for their arrival since June 2022, two months after the deal was agreed.
I got a tour of the eerily empty hostel in the capital, Kigali, from the manager, Ismael Bakina. Its bedrooms are laid out with care, furnished with details like prayer rugs and toiletries.
Gardeners trim the hedges of the lushly green grounds that boast a football pitch and basketball court, while cooks and cleaners busy themselves in a surreal performance of their duties.
