00:00The controversial Rwanda-UK migration deal has dominated the news cycle for months.
00:05It was viewed as a bad precedent in dealing with asylum seekers to Europe.
00:10But President Paul Kagame's gamble seems to have paid off.
00:15But if they don't come, we won't complain.
00:21It's not like we are dying to have people come to us in this manner.
00:27It's just that we are trying to help out.
00:31Welcome to the flip side.
00:32Many let out a sigh of relief when their ill-fated migration plan was scrapped.
00:38Look, the Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started. It's never been a deterrent.
00:42Human rights groups had campaigned against the deal
00:46to send asylum seekers to the UK off to Rwanda for processing and resettlement.
00:51And the court found the deal unlawful.
00:55No one was ever deported to Rwanda.
00:57But the government made Hope Hostel in Kigali available for asylum seekers from the UK
01:02well in advance.
01:04It was a signal of the country's willingness to help Europe overcome its migration problem.
01:10And Europe took notice.
01:12German and Danish politicians were open to the idea of working with Rwanda in a similar manner too.
01:19Then there is the issue of money for asylum seekers.
01:24The UK had committed around $494 million over five years to its overall plan involving Rwanda.
01:32A portion of that sum was used for Hope Hostel and other facilities in the country.
01:38I don't think Rwanda has any obligation under the international law to reimburse the money.
01:44Because, I mean, they are not the one who would decide to unilaterally to cancel the treaty.
01:52And this is what the international law says.
01:56As the UK and the rest of Europe continues to contemplate
02:00how to curb the number of people entering without authorization, one thing is certain.
02:06Rwanda has cashed in already and appears eager to be part of the solution.
02:13And that's the flip side.
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