Key facts
- Rwanda has held preliminary discussions with some EU member states about hosting facilities for transferred migrants.
- Rwandan officials told EU lawmakers they are open to the idea, but discussions are in early stages.
- Five European countries (Germany, Austria, Greece, Denmark, Netherlands) are seeking agreements to send migrants outside the EU.
- Rwanda was among countries being considered by these five European nations.
- Facilities prepared under the UK's abandoned Rwanda deportation scheme were shown to lawmakers.
- Rights groups criticize return hub proposals as unrealistic and inhumane.
Rwanda has held preliminary discussions with some European Union member states about potentially hosting facilities for migrants transferred from those countries, two European Parliament lawmakers said on Wednesday.
Lawmakers Tineke Strik and Anna Strolenberg, who visited Kigali last week, stated that Rwandan officials indicated they are open to the idea but that discussions remain at an early stage with no agreements reached. Rwandan officials were not immediately available for comment.
Earlier in September, five European countries—Germany, Austria, Greece, Denmark, and the Netherlands—announced their intention to strike agreements this year to send migrants without a legal right to remain in the EU to countries outside the bloc. These nations, referred to as the Group of Five, have agreed on concrete steps toward establishing return hubs in non-EU countries as part of a broader European effort to increase deportations and curb irregular migration. The potential host states have not been publicly identified.
An EU official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that Rwanda is among the countries being considered by the Group of Five. During their visit, Strik and Strolenberg were shown two facilities prepared under Britain's now-abandoned Rwanda deportation scheme, one of which was a hotel, that could potentially house migrants transferred from Europe.
The five countries are expected to meet again on Thursday on the sidelines of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council. Rwanda has increasingly positioned itself as a destination for migrants that Western nations wish to relocate, despite human rights concerns raised by rights groups. Last year, Rwanda agreed to receive up to 250 migrants deported from the United States. In 2023, the UK Supreme Court ruled the government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda unlawful, after which Rwanda reportedly asked Britain for a £50 million ($63.62 million) payment following the cancellation of the asylum deal.
Rights groups have criticized return hub proposals, arguing they could undermine safeguards for migrants and asylum seekers. Strik described the deportation plans by the five member states as "unrealistic, inhumane and costly." Strolenberg added that pressuring countries like Uganda and Rwanda, which already host large refugee populations and have faced cuts in foreign aid, by sending more people would be "tempting fate."