Rwanda seeks weapon of mass distraction to UK deportation plans

The Guardian reported on Friday, how the Rwandan Government were preparing to welcome asylum seekers on Tuesday until a dramatic 11th-hour ruling by the European court of human rights. Government officials in Rwanda are now accusing refugee and human rights campaigners of prejudice, saying the country’s record of human rights breaches is a thing of the past. 

The Rwandan government has also hired strategist Harry Burns, who ran the British Labour Party’s election campaign in 2017 and is now the managing director of the PR firm Chelgate Consulting, to facilitate Rwanda’s attention from the international media. As the Guardian highlighted, British reporters were recently granted access to the Gashora transit centre, which is used for processing asylum seekers evacuated from Libya. 

The visit was controlled by Rwandan government officials who closely monitored journalists as they toured the sprawling facilities. Asylum seekers were hand-picked for interviews in advance and spoke glowingly of the conditions and questioned why anyone would not want to stay there. 

Reporters were also invited to visit Kigali’s Hope hostel, where those deported from the UK would be taken and were again shadowed by Rwandan government officials. Sandrine Mushimiyimana, who was working in the site’s gift shop did not accept criticism levelled at the £120m partnership between Britain and Rwanda.