It is good news that the court of appeal declared unlawful any deportations to Rwanda, on the grounds that these would violate international law (Battle over Rwanda deportations to continue as No 10 gears up for appeal, 29 June). However, it did not rule on whether Rwanda is a safe country to receive asylum seekers.
I have recently returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and have witnessed the appalling impact of Rwanda’s unlawful invasion on Congolese people living in North Kivu. Its armed militias are looting the mines, and massacring and displacing millions of civilians. Many Congolese women are now widows and many are survivors of sexual violence.
This invasion also impacts on Rwandans. There is clear evidence of how opponents of President Kagame who dare to criticise his war crimes are brutally silenced. Many Rwandans are seeking asylum in neighbouring countries.
Some 53% of Rwandans are not in work. Far from finding a job, any deportee could be forced to join the Rwanda-backed armed groups and participate in the horrendous war crimes perpetrated in eastern DRC. The Rwanda scheme must be stopped. It shames us in the eyes of the world. Surely the supreme court, if appeal is allowed to it, will confirm the court of appeal’s decision.
Margaret Owen
President, Widows for Peace Through Democracy
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