Minister Emmanuel Ugirashebuja Accuses UK of "Intransigence" as £106 Million Migration Deal Arbitration Opens at The Hague

Justice Minister Emmanuel Ugirashebuja opens Rwanda's arbitration case against the UK at the PCA, demanding £100m+ for the scrapped migration deal.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 18, 2026, 8:59 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from The New Times Rwanda

Opening Volley at the Peace Palace

The long-simmering legal battle between Kigali and London reached the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Representing the Republic of Rwanda, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Emmanuel Ugirashebuja delivered a scathing opening statement, characterizing the UK’s conduct as a breach of trust. He noted that Rwanda was forced to seek legal redress after the new UK administration declared the 2022 migration agreement "dead and buried" via media reports rather than formal diplomatic channels.

The Financial Core: The £100 Million Claim

The heart of the dispute centers on the Economic Transformation and Integration Fund (ETIF). Under a binding exchange of diplomatic notes signed in June 2024, the UK committed to two subsequent payments of £50 million each, scheduled for April 2025 and April 2026.

Rwanda's Stance: Kigali argues that these obligations accrued while the treaty was in force and remain legally binding despite the UK's domestic political shift.

The UK's Defense: British lawyers are expected to argue that the agreement's termination relieves them of future payments, citing "obvious weaknesses" in Rwanda's legal interpretation.