Rwanda 'welcomes' court ruling on UK plan to deport migrants

Rwanda said on Monday it welcomed a ruling by judges in London that said a controversial British government plan to deport migrants to the East African country was lawful. 

"We welcome this decision and stand ready to offer asylum seekers and migrants safety and the opportunity to build a new life in Rwanda," Rwanda Government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo told AFP, describing it as a "positive step" to solving the global migration crisis.

Irregular migration is a thorny political issue for the UK government which promised to tighten borders after the country left the European Union.

According to the arrangement, the British government had hoped to send anyone entering the UK illegally, as well as those who have arrived illegally since January 1, to Rwanda.

But deportation flights were stymied by a series of legal challenges in the UK courts and at the European Court of Human Rights.

A first flight of a small group of asylum-seekers had been due to take off from the UK in June but it was halted following a last-minute injunction by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Judges in London on Monday gave the controversial policy a green light.

They acknowledged that the issue had stirred public debate but said their only remit was "to ensure that the law is properly understood and observed, and that the rights guaranteed by parliament are respected." 

The deal is to be funded by the UK to the tune of up to £120 million ($146 million), with observers seeing it as a way of bolstering Rwanda's image and deflecting concern over its rights record.