By John Ikani
Botswana’s foreign minister, Lemogang Kwape, has disclosed to a South African TV channel that the British government approached his nation regarding the possibility of receiving deported migrants from the UK.
The timing of the request was not specified.
The revelation comes in the wake of speculative reports in the British media earlier this month suggesting that the UK government aimed to replicate its contentious Rwanda program in several countries including Botswana, Armenia, Ivory Coast, and Costa Rica.
In an interview with Newzroom Afrika via phone, Kwape confirmed that Botswana declined the proposition.
He noted that the contact was initiated by the British foreign secretary and the minister for Africa through diplomatic channels.
Explaining Botswana’s stance, Kwape stated that the country was unable to accommodate migrants from Britain due to its ongoing immigration challenges.
According to him, “The British government does not want these people in their country so they want to ferry them to a faraway country… To receive unwanted immigrants from another country while we’re dealing with our own problems in the region would be unfair to Botswana”.
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The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, aimed to deter migrants from entering the UK illegally, has been passed after months of wrangling ended in a parliamentary showdown on Monday night.
The UN, international bodies, including Charities have hit out at the scheme, with leading human rights groups describing it as a “breach of international law”.
But Rwanda said it was “pleased” by the approval of the bill and “look[s] forward to welcoming those relocated to Kigali”.
Rishi Sunak, the UK’s prime minister, described the bill as “landmark legislation”.
He added that flights to Rwanda would take off within 10 to 12 weeks.
