The UK and Rwanda have announced a deal in which the UK will send some people claiming asylum to the East African nation where their cases will be processed. If they are granted asylum, they will be encouraged to remain in Rwanda for at least five years. Refugee expert, Evan Easton-Calabria, provides key insights into Rwanda as a refugee host.
Could you give us a picture of Rwanda’s refugee operations?
Rwanda hosts about 127,585 refugees, the overwhelming majority of whom come from just two countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo (about 77,288) and Burundi (about 49,827). This is a significant number that nonetheless pales in comparison to neighbouring Uganda’s approximately 1.5 million and Kenya’s 550,000 refugees.
Rwanda has six refugee camps. Of the six camps, the Mahama refugee camp is both the newest and the largest, home to over 56,000 refugees. The other five are much smaller in size.
An estimated 50,000 Congolese refugees have been in Rwanda since 1996. They are
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