By Aurore LartiguePosted on 13-09-2019Modified on 13-09-2019 at 05:10

Rwanda signed a few days ago in Addis Ababa an agreement with the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the African Union (AU) to welcome migrants stranded in detention centers Libyans. Camille Le Coz, an analyst at the think tank Migration Policy Institute, decrypts this announcement.

Five hundred people will be evacuated from Libya to Rwanda " in a few weeks, " Hope Tumukunde Gasatura, Permanent Representative of Rwanda at the AU, told a press conference in Addis Ababa on Tuesday. the agreement.

RFI: Rwanda already hosts nearly 150,000 refugees from the DRC and Burundi. And it's not really the door next to Libya. Not to mention that Paul Kagame's regime is regularly criticized for his human rights violations. So how do you explain that this state finds itself in the care of hundreds of migrants?

Camille Le Coz: In fact, everything starts in November 2017 after CNN publishes a video revealing the existence of slave markets in Libya. It was then that Kigali volunteered to welcome migrants stranded in Libya. But it is ultimately to Europe and Niger, neighboring Libya, that these evacuations are organized. Since 2017, nearly 4,000 refugees have been evacuated from Libya, including 2,900 in Niger . Most of them have been resettled in Western countries or are awaiting resettlement. But because of the resumption of fighting in Libya this summer, this mechanism quickly appeared insufficient. The option to organize evacuations to Rwanda has been reactivated and has led to discussions with Kigali, UNHCR, the AU and the EU on the financial aspects.

What benefit can Rwanda derive from this agreement?

For Rwanda, promoting solidarity with African migrants in Libya is a good political coup, both on the international scene and with its African partners. The situation of migrants in Libya is at the heart of the news and NGOs and the UN regularly alert on the appalling conditions for migrants on the spot. So from a political point of view, it is very rewarding for Rwanda to welcome these people.

What will happen to these people when they arrive in Rwanda?

In fact, this mechanism raises two issues. On the one hand, who are the migrants who will be evacuated to Rwanda? From what we know, they are more people from the Horn of Africa and more likely very vulnerable people, especially children. On the other hand, what are the solutions that will be offered to them in Rwanda? The first option provided by the agreement is the possibility for these people to return to their country of origin. The second option is to return to a country where these refugees have been granted asylum in the past. This could, for example, apply to Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia before leaving for Europe. These two options will nonetheless require a serious follow-up of return conditions: how to ensure that these returns will actually be voluntary, and how to ensure the reintegration of these refugees? The third option would be the possibility for some to stay in Rwanda but we do not yet know under what status. Finally, what is not yet known is whether European states will undertake to relocate some of these survivors.

This agreement is therefore a replica of that concluded with Niger, which hosts since 2017 several thousand refugees evacuated from Tripoli?

The approach is the same but according to what we know for the moment, the possibilities offered to the evacuated refugees are different: in the case of the mechanism with Niger, the European countries but also the United States, the Canada, Norway and Switzerland had committed to resettle some of these refugees. In the case of Rwanda, we have not yet had such promises.

Is this agreement the translation of the evolution of European migration policy?

Today, nearly 5,000 migrants and refugees are in detention centers in Libya where conditions are horrible. So the priority is to get them out. Evacuations to Rwanda can help to solve this problem. But it remains intact as Libyan coastguards, funded by Europe, continue to intercept migrants who go to Italy and send them to these detention centers. In other words, this agreement provides a partial and short-term answer to a problem that is very largely a result of European policies.

► To reread: Julien Raickman: "Europe favors the return of migrants to Libya"

We sometimes hear of "outsourcing borders" of Europe. Basically, making agreements with countries like Rwanda would also help to keep the problem of migrants off the coast of Europe. Is this really the strategy of the European Union?

These evacuations to Rwanda are rather an emergency mechanism to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of migrants and refugees detained in Libya (see box). But it is clear that in recent years European policy has been to enter into agreements with neighboring countries to strengthen their border controls. This is the case for example with Turkey and Libya. In exchange, the European Union provides them with financial assistance and other economic or political benefits. The European Union has also put part of its development policy at the service of migration objectives, with the creation of an Emergency Trust Fund for Africa in 2015, which aims in particular to develop the capacity of African States to implement their own migration policy and improve the management of their borders. This is particularly the case in Niger, where the European Union has backed the authorities to fight against smuggling networks and to control passages to Libya.

Just for Rwanda, is there a financial counterpart?

The agreement is between UNHCR, AU and Rwanda. But the financial support of the European Union seems essential for the implementation of this plan. It remains to be seen how this could materialize. Will it be financial support for these 500 people? Relocation offers from Rwanda? Or, since we know that Rwanda has signed the Global Compact on Refugees, could the European Union support the implementation of Kigali's action plans in this area? It could be an idea.

AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Amira El Fadil said she was convinced that such partnerships could be "sustainable" solutions. What do you think ?

This is a positive sign that African countries are more involved on this issue since these migration issues require coordinated management on both sides of the Mediterranean. Now, it remains to be seen what solutions will be offered to these 500 people since for the moment, the plan seems to offer them to return to the country they have left. On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that most African refugees are not in Libya but in Africa. The largest contingents are in Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia and therefore, durable solutions are first and foremost to be implemented on the continent.

■ A gesture of solidarity on the part of Rwanda, according to UNHCR

With our correspondent in Geneva, Jérémie Lanche

According to UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch, Kigali's arrival of a first contingent of refugees is a " lifeline " for all those trapped in Libya. The European Union, whose coasts are increasingly inaccessible to candidates for exile, could finance part of the operation, even if nothing is official. But for UNHCR, the key is elsewhere. The lives of migrants in Libya are at stake, says Babar Baloch:

" We must not forget that a few weeks ago, a detention center [for migrants] was bombed in Libya. More than 50 people were killed. But even without mentioning that, the conditions in these centers are deplorable. It is necessary to leave those who are there as soon as possible. And apart from Niger, Rwanda is the second country that has come forward to help us save those lives. "

Refugees and asylum seekers must be housed in facilities that have already served to host Burundian refugees. Those who wish can stay in Rwanda and work there according to Kigali. Others may be relocated to third countries or even their country of origin if they wish. Rwanda says it is ready to receive in all its transit centers up to 30,000 Africans stranded in Libya.

For half a century, Rwanda has produced many refugees. So the fact that there is such a tragedy, such distress, on the part of our African brothers and sisters, it challenges us as Rwandans. What we are talking about is an emergency transit center. Once [they will] arrive in Rwanda, UNHCR will continue to find a solution for these people. Some will be sent to the country that has granted asylum, others will be sent to third countries and of course others will return to their country if the security situation allows. Of course, those who do not have places to go can stay in Rwanda. This must of course require the agreement of the authorities of our country.

Olivier Nduhungirehe, Secretary of State in charge of Cooperation and the East African Community

13-09-2019 - By Liza Fabbian

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