News about Paul Kagame

WARNING: Graphic images. Responding to an audience member's question during the programme about the British government 's controversial Rwanda bill, Policing minister Chris Philp (top-right) seemed to ask whether 'Rwanda is a different country to Congo' - prompting laughter and disbelief from the audience and his fellow panellists. The Rwanda Bill became law on Thursday after being granted royal assent, paving the way for migrant deportation flights from the UK to get off the ground. The bill was held up at several stages, including over questions about whether Rwanda is a safe country - with one provision in the bill even stating 'that the Republic of Rwanda is a safe country' to allow the scheme to go ahead. Although Philp was mocked for his gaffe, the two central African nations have been inextricably linked by a recent and bloody history, with the UN and the US sounding the alarm in recent months over the rising risk of war once again.

How on earth do you prepare someone who has never set foot on British soil before for the realities of daily life in its capital? When Claudine arrived in August her husband presented her with a shoebox containing what he believed were useful preparatory aids to settling into British life. 'There was an Oyster card to navigate the London transport system, an A-Z, some cash, a British flag, an umbrella and different kinds of chocolate,' Simon says now. 'That's when I learned I love Maltesers,' adds Claudine, who is known as Coco, as she looks at her husband with an adoring smile.

The Government first promised to send Channel migrants to Rwanda as part of a 'world-leading' partnership with the African country more than two years ago. But, despite being backed by all three Tory PMs who have occupied Downing Street since 2022, the multi-million pound scheme is still yet to get off the ground. It has been bogged down in legal challenges and parliamentary wrangling, with plenty of Westminster drama along the way. Here's the full story of the Rwanda ordeal for ministers...

A cabinet minister has insisted Rwanda journeys could take off 'within weeks' but charities have vowed to launch new legal challenges to block them. Official Home Office data shows there were 534 migrants detected on boats crossing the Channel on Sunday, after 214 on Sunday, following four days with none after last Monday's 82 on two vessels. The latest figures come after British-funded French police were seen standing by and watching as dozens of migrants sprinted across beaches to board small boats and cross the English Channel.

Progress has reportedly stalled with all four countries, which were priorities in a long list of potential locations, as the Rwanda scheme struggles to get off the ground after two years of legal and political wrangling. Leaked documents are said to show that the Foreign Office (FCDO) also considered South American states including Paraguay, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador, but suggested their governments may have less interest in signing up. Among those on a 'reserve list' included Cape Verde, Senegal, Tanzania and Sierra Leone - meaning they could be approached if talks with other targets failed. Pictured left: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Top right: A border force boat rescuing suspected migrants in the Channel. Bottom right: Homes sold in Rwanda.

Rishi Sunak today held talks with Rwanda president Paul Kagame in Downing Street amid a furious row over the sale of homes earmarked for UK migrants. The Prime Minister laid out a red carpet for Mr Kagame's arrival ahead of a short meeting between the pair in No10. Their discussions took place as Mr Sunak faced a backlash over the revelation properties due to house migrants deported from Britain have already been sold off. Of the 163 affordable homes on the Bwiza Riverside estate, 70 per cent have been sold, meaning there is only space for a few dozen migrants, The Times reported. The prices of the properties funded as part of a public-private partnership between the Rwandan government and ADHI Corporate Group range between £14,000 and £27,000. A manager at the estate said the homes had been sold to 'private people who want to live in them'.

During the 1994 genocide that killed 800,000 people in 100 days, the world 'failed' Rwanda, according to President Robert Mugabe. "It was the international community that failed all of us, whether it was mistreating or cowardice," President Paul Kagame (left) said on Sunday at a commemoration service.' Several African heads of state and former US president Bill Clinton, who had dubbed the genocide the worst failure of his administration, were among the speakers.

If no asylum seekers are sent there, Rwandan President Paul Kagame suggested that the country will return money to Britain. The remarks, made at the World Economic Forum in Davos, came as MPs began to wrangle in Westminster over a bill that would bring the scheme into operation. Despite hundreds of protesters' support for efforts to tighten the rules, Rishi Sunak is struggling to push the Rwanda Bill through its final stages in the House of Commons.

SUE REID: The teenage girls cried in terror as Taliban fighters rushed toward them at a boarding school in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. Your teachers told them 'You have to leave now or else they'll murder all of us,' before dawn broke on August 15, 2021. The country's democratic government was overthrown. By that evening, Islamic rebels had taken power of the city. Street checkpoints had been abandoned, people were evicated, and the United States was withdrawing troops marking the end of a 19-year war in Afghanistan to put an end to violence.

Rishi Sunak said today that his "patience is thin" because of government policy's decision to relocate refugees to Rwanda. The Prime Minister, who spoke with the east African country's leaders at the COP-28 climate summit, vowed to 'finish the job' and get the asylum scheme up and running. According to him, the government is currently 'finalizing' new legislation and a new deal with Rwanda in order to maneuver ahead of the Supreme Court's decision, which is expected to take place next month. The UK's top judges found that the policy to send asylum seekers to east Africa was'unlawful,' breaking Mr Sunak's promise to "stop the boats." With new legislation at Westminster and a new deal with Kigali, the Prime Minister is now taking a dual-track strategy to get out of the court's decision. At the COP-28 summit in Dubai, quized over his talks with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Mr Sunak praised the two countries' "deep friendship." The PM's talks with Mr Kagame on the sidelines of the climate summit were described as a "brush-by" on the sidelines of the summit, according to Downing Street.

The Supreme Court's decision against the Rwanda project earlier this month was the latest blow to a program that was launched by Boris Johnson (right - with Rwandan President Paul Kagame) in April 2022. Senior diplomats have informed the Foreign Office that the longer flights are delayed, the more officials in Kigali will ask if the scheme is sustainable. In reaction, new foreign minister Lord Cameron (left) has been advised to vigorously defend Rwanda in public.

As part of a contentious £140 million contract last year with the land-locked East African country, the government intends Hope House in Kigali to be where asylum seekers arriving illegally in the country will be mailed.

During a Rwanda wedding, Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina put on a very loved up display as they posed in matching cloaks. On Sunday, the model, 35, posted several snaps from her Instagram followers, and claimed they were honoured to name a gorilla at the ceremony. While posing outside the pool, Sabrina captured a stunning snapshot in a scruffy knitted SpongeBob Squarepants bikini.

Rwanda decided on Friday that the 25-year prison term against Rusesabagina (pictured), a vivacious critic of President Paul Kagame, had been reduced. The announcement comes less than two weeks after Kagame said Kigali was considering ending Rusesabagina's case, which has caused fear for Western and international rights organisations. After consideration of their demands for clemency,' Paul Rusesabagina and [co-defendant] Callixte Nsabimana have had their prison sentences commuted by presidential order,' government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told AFP, but without specifying when they would be released, they were released. The sentences of another 18 people convicted of terrorist charges alongside Rusesabagina in September 2021 have been commuted, according to her, underscoring the importance of the United States and Qatar in the investigation.

Suella Braverman (top right) revealed last night that she had been "encouraged" by discussions with the European Court of Human Rights, boosting expectations of restarting the procedure. According to reports, the talks could'remove a major barrier to getting flights off the ground' and see boat migrants arriving in the east African country. An injunction, which was described as a 'Rule 39' order, blocked the Home Office's inaugural flight to Rwanda at the 11th hour by Strasbourg judges.

Suella Braverman visited a £25,000 house in Rwanda today, which is earmarked for Channel boat migrants in her controversial deportation scheme, lauding the small property's interiors as 'beautiful' as she promotes the initiative. The Home Secretary arrived in Africa yesterday to double-down on her pledge to the £140 million agreement, which she said would be a "strong deterrent" against illegal crossings. Ms Braverman, who was awaiting a two-bedroom new build earmarked for migrants being deported from the United Kingdom, was impressed with the apartments, the cheapest of which costs about £14,000. Claudette Irere, Rwandan minister, toured the house and said, 'These houses are really beautiful, great value, very welcoming, and I really like your interior designer.' Ms Braverman wrote, 'I need some help for myself.'

Rwanda will be able to take 'thousands' of migrants as soon as removals flights begin, according to Suella Braverman last night. The Home Secretary, who arrives in Kigali today to 'force commitment' to the asylum deal, has sluggishly attacked Labour and other commentators who claim that the scheme will only be able to accommodate a few hundred Channel migrants. As soon as removals flights from the United Kingdom are approved for take-off, the Rwandan government will be able to bring significant numbers of beds on-stream, according to Mrs Braverman. Rwanda has also been referred to as "one of the world's safest nations" ahead of a series of high-level meetings to address the next steps of the scheme.

Gianni Infantino was re-elected FIFA president by acclaim on Thursday, 2027, after predicting that the company's financial results would keep an industry CEO in the job for life. Infantino had no electoral opponent and gained by acclaim instead of a general election held by the congress of 211 member federations whose basic annual funding from FIFA has increased from £207,000 ($2 million) to £1.67 million ($2 million) since his first victory in 2016. After the World Cup in Qatar concluded in December, FIFA had £3.3 billion ($4 billion) reserves. Through the men's 2026 World Cup, which is being hosted in North America, it has conservatively estimated record earnings of at least £9.1 billion ($11 billion).

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said tough new measures unveiled would'allow us to avoid the boats', dismissing Labour protesters in the Commons. The need for change was "obvious and urgent," she said, and some refugees were profiting from Britain's generous program. Ms Braverman said it would be a "betrayal" not to deal with the "waves of illegal migrants breaching our borders,' arguing that 100 million people could legally be eligible for asylum under the existing rules. The landmark bill will prohibit unlawful immigrants from seeking asylum or applying for a human rights cause. While cases are being investigated, only children and the critically ill will be able to stay in the United Kingdom. Even though it may be months before they become statute book, the laws will go into place from now to avoid creating a dash to the United Kingdom.

Joe Biden blasted African leaders on Wednesday about his country's "original sin," saying that slavery binds the United States and Africa. The White House declared that $55 billion was being sent to Africa in the areas of health, climate change, manufacturing, and women's initiatives, but some people were furious. When asked whether the 2014 summit yielded concrete results, Rwanda's president, Paul Kagame, was asked earlier on Wednesday. 'Well, at least we had a good meeting,' he replied, to applause from those assembled. Many saw Biden's outreach campaign as a way to reduce China's clout in Africa, which has invested more in Africa than in any other region.

At the High Court yesterday, leftie lawyers' fight to prevent the Government from sending Channel migrants to Rwanda were told that Tony Blair had made the scheme possible. In April, Tory's scheme of sending migrants to the central African country to request asylum was announced, but a flight was diverted three months ago by a judge at the European Court of Human Rights. In the meantime, the number of people crossing the Channel continues to rise, with 28,000 this year. There were less than 300 people in 2018 when they were counting.

STEPHEN GLOVER: No incoming Prime Minister has faced such complexities since Winston Churchill took over the reins of power in May 1940. Talk about a baptism of fire! It's so coincidence that another major event is scheduled for the same date. A High Court hearing will determine the constitutionality of forcibly delivering some asylum seekers who land on our shores in small boats. The government has frozen its Rwandan scheme pending the case's outcome. A new twist has appeared. Priti Patel, the Rwandan project's architect, has devised a plan to expedite the removals of Albanian migrants. This will be carried out with the support of Albanian law enforcement officers, who will serve with British officials in this region.