The Telegraph in UK reports that Zambia may be the next country to take UK asylum seekers after “expressing an interest” in the Government’s Rwanda scheme.
The southern African state is said by government and Border Force sources to be “potentially interested”.
However, it is waiting to see how the £120 million agreement to remove migrants from the UK to claim asylum in Rwanda works.
A source familiar with the programme said: “There are one or two countries, like Zambia, who are potentially interested. They will wait and see what happens in Rwanda before deciding whether it is worthwhile and the political ramifications of it.”
Court action to block Rwanda deportation
The disclosure came as the charities Care4Calais and Detention Action – as well as the Public and Commercial Services (PCS), which represents Border Force staff – launched a court bid to block the Rwanda deportation plans and injunct the first flights on June 14.
They are challenging both the policy and the removal of four of the migrants as unlawful on multiple grounds, including breaches of their human rights.
As well as breaches of the migrants’ human rights, they also claim it was irrational for Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, to claim Rwanda was a “safe third country” and that she had failed to “make provision for malaria prevention in Rwanda”.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union, said: “’PCS is not prepared to countenance our members being put in potentially dangerous and traumatic situations, where they may be asked to act illegally.”
But a Tory source said: “They have no alternative to stop these deadly Channel crossings and it’s a shame to see members of the Labour party standing with them.”
More than 90 of the 130 migrants due to be removed to Rwanda next week have already lodged legal challenges.
Officials expect all to have submitted challenges by the end of the week.
Government sources admitted that there was a “very high” risk the legal action could scupper the June 14 flights.
However, one said: “It will go, even if there is just one person left on it, because we will already have paid for it at that point.
We will take on the legal action. It is just whether a judge grants an injunction. We cannot do anything until the injunction has been dealt with.”
Zambia a destination for many refugees
Under the Rwanda deal, the UK has agreed to pay the east African country £120 million and foot the £12,000 bill for sending each migrant on a one-way flight there.
The Government was in talks with two other countries, Albania and Ghana, to take migrants from the UK.
However, the disclosure of the negotiations led to them withdrawing, amid fears of a political and public backlash.
The Zambian embassy was contacted two weeks ago by The Telegraph but has so far not responded to requests for comment.
Zambia is, however, a major location for refugees. It hosts more than 100,000, largely from Congo and Burundi.
Filippo Grandi, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, praised Zambia’s generosity towards refugees in 2019, after witnessing its “progressive” approach – including finding work for new arrivals.
Tom Pursglove, a Home Office minister, last month said of the Rwanda deal: “I doubt it will be the last of those sorts of agreements that are reached involving countries around the world.”
David Neal, chief inspector of borders and immigration, told MPs that he had not met Ms Patel since starting his job 14 months ago and had six scheduled meetings with her cancelled.
He also disclosed that the Home Office was sitting on six of his reports, including one on Channel small boat crossings.
Telegraph
All those refugees are more than welcome. Why would only Rwanda get rich from this agreement?
I also do not mind. We need to grow our population. Settle them in smaller towns and give them portions of land for agriculture. Some of these people have critical skills.
People are welcome to settle in Zambia from anywhere in the world. We host Palestinians and Israelis without any problem. In Kitwe a Lebanese carpenter works with an Israeli entrepreneur without any problem. What’s wrong is that it seems the UK Government wants to force these people out of their preferred choice of refuge while the Rwandese and Zambian Governments seem to be interested in the money involved. Simply put, the UK wants to sell refugees to Rwanda and Zambia. This will make these people less welcome in the communities that they’re likely to settle. It’s degrading, please stop it
We told you that hh is a muzungu anikonde type of guy. He is willing to promote this illegal process just to please his masters.
Maybe this will provide a free flight to the broke illegal upnd diasporans e.g. spaka, tikki, and the rest. They will be returned as they are unwanted there abroad. We also don’t want them.
Why not get paid instead………
of hosting immigration from India and China as happens now, with out payment…….????
Maybe the UK based imposter troll can find relevance………..
Baleteni.. We need to beef up the National football team.
What frivolous greedy narrowmindedness!
The conventions on refugees that the UN supervises do not allow for asylum seekers to be passed on to another country. Also a country can’t force a refugee to move to another country. The refugee can move on his own initiative but can’t be forced to move. Nor can he compel his initial host country to take him somewhere else. This is a pariah and arrogant arrangement in which rich European states want to sell their responsibilities to poor African states who only want the money. The thinking being that since we are used to poverty and Britain is not we won’t mind more of our kind at our doorstep. For Britain these refugees will be out of sight and out of mind.
They are all welcome to Zambia. We have a big land without people.
LT you are misquoting The Telegraph. We have read it and your half truth stories should not be fed to Zambians. Focus on Zambian news even there, you publish un coordinated stories with bias to suit your agenda and its readership.
We have a lot of Zambian ” refugees” in UK….. Some are sweeping the streets, Some are toilet cleaners, some are bus conductors, others are nurses cleaning old people’s bums. and many more. Just send our own back and pay us!!
Meanwhile Ukrainians are free to reside in the UK as refugees…they are no different to Syrians, Eritreans and Ethiopians except for the Nigerians.
Hope non of them are extremists, otherwise why not host them? We can only host those who want to be hosted. Some of them will find a way to back to the UK, canada, USA…… KK International Airport will be like Calais, France. I hope we dont get there.
@UPND Cadre we cant host any of them. They didnt set out for Zambia. They want to stay in Britain. And they have already started challenging this forceful relocation to Africa in British courts. And some dont even want to come to Africa
‘I’ll take my life’: UK refugees being deported to Rwanda despairhttps://www.aljazeera.com › news › uk-rwanda-deportat…
London, United Kingdom – Refugees being detained in Britain who are scheduled to be deported to Rwanda have told Al Jazeera that they are on …
More problems…
What about you tarino. How are you allowed to stay there as an asylum seeker? Those people don’t like people of your colour. Just come back home
At Kaizer Zulu: You are asking tarino, dont forget yourself bro. You too are an Asylum seeker. Running away from PF blunders. Kaizer Refugee
How am I refugee in my own country. Come back home. I will employ you.