Exiled Rwandan Opposition Leader Condemns UK Deportation Plan
In a sharp rebuke to the UK's deportation plan for asylum seekers to Rwanda, Frank Ntwali, the chair of the exiled Rwanda National Congress (RNC) movement and a survivor of an assassination attempt, has condemned the policy as "quite bizarre" and emphasized the unsafe conditions in Rwanda.
Ntwali, who narrowly escaped an attack in 2012 near Johannesburg's OR Tambo international airport, expressed deep concern over the UK government's persistence with the deportation plan. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has been pushing for the passage of the Rwanda deportation bill, framing it as crucial for the Conservative party's political standing as it trails behind Labour in the polls.
The 2012 attack on Ntwali occurred as he was on his way to testify at a South African court in the trial of individuals accused of attempting to murder his brother-in-law, Kayumba Nyamwasa, a prominent rival of Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Several men were later convicted in connection with the attempt on Nyamwasa's life.
Ntwali, now a practicing advocate in South Africa, left Rwanda over two decades ago after criticizing the power dynamics in the country's post-civil war constitution development. He was labeled an "enemy of the state" by Kagame's government, leading to his forced exile.
Speaking on the deportation plan, Ntwali asserted that the UK should bear responsibility for the fates of any asylum seekers sent back to Rwanda. He warned that the UK government could have "blood on its hands" if any deported individuals face adverse consequences such as imprisonment, disappearance, or death.
The Rwanda National Congress (RNC), founded by former members of Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front, has been labeled a terrorist group by Kagame's government. Ntwali's stabbing in 2012 was included in a Human Rights Watch report documenting attacks on Rwandan political dissidents living abroad.
Rwandan dissidents residing in the UK have previously received police warnings about potential assassination attempts by agents of the Rwandan government. Jonathan Musonera, another political opponent of Kagame living in Greater London under close protection, described Sunak's claim that Rwanda is safe as "unbelievable."
Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, an opposition politician who spent eight years in a Rwandan jail after a trial criticized by human rights groups, describes the reprisals faced by those expressing opinions contrary to the Rwandan government. She cited instances of violence against protesters and the targeting of dissenting voices, activists, journalists, and YouTubers.
As the debate over the deportation plan intensifies, concerns over the safety and well-being of asylum seekers facing return to Rwanda continue to grow, prompting human rights advocates to call for a reevaluation of the UK's stance on the matter.
