Asylum seekers should go to Rwanda
Sharp criticism of Johnson’s plans for migrants
April 17, 2022, 5:30 p.m
Britain plans to relocate illegal migrants to Rwanda. In addition to the UN, human rights activists and refugee workers, the Anglican Church is now also appalled. The agreement contradicts Christian values and is contrary to the nature of God.
The Anglican Church has used unusually strong language to criticize the British government’s plans to bring migrants who have entered the country illegally to Rwanda in the future. The agreement concluded between the two countries gives rise to “serious ethical questions,” said Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Great Britain must not “outsource its responsibility as a subcontract”, added the religious leader of the Church of England in his Easter sermon.
The planned “dispatch” of those affected contradicts Christian values, Welby said. “It is the opposite of the nature of God.” The agreement with Rwanda had previously been sharply criticized by the UN, human rights activists and refugee workers. The controversial agreement was announced on Thursday by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the government in Kigali.
Rwanda should therefore offer migrants and asylum seekers legal residence options. Any migrant entering the UK illegally “can now be relocated to Rwanda,” Johnson said. The East African country has the capacity to accommodate “tens of thousands of people in the coming years”.
Johnson called Rwanda “one of the safest countries in the world” that enjoys global recognition for “welcoming and integrating” immigrants. According to observers, however, the human rights situation in the East African country is anything but ideal.