Rwanda has initiated arbitration proceedings against the United Kingdom (UK) over the cancellation of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP).
Rwanda accuses London of breaching a legally binding treaty and failing to honour its financial and resettlement obligations.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Office of the Government Spokesperson, Rwanda said it submitted a Notice of Arbitration on November 24, 2025, commencing proceedings under Article 22 of the MEDP Treaty before the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
The MEDP, which entered into force on April 25, 2024, was initiated at the request of the United Kingdom and was described as “a bold new approach” aimed at deterring dangerous irregular migration journeys while addressing “the global imbalance of economic opportunity,” identified as one of the underlying causes of mass irregular migration.
Rwanda said the partnership reflected its long-standing commitment to protecting vulnerable people and built on its track record of hosting refugees and migrants from around the world, including providing safety, dignity and opportunity to those hosted in the country.
Relations between the two countries began to deteriorate in July 2024 when the UK Prime Minister, shortly after taking office, publicly announced that the MEDP was “dead and buried.” Rwanda said the statement was made without prior notice and was “contrary to the spirit of the partnership that had always characterised the MEDP.”
In November 2024, the United Kingdom requested Rwanda to forgo two payments of £50 million that were due in April 2025 and April 2026, indicating that it was doing so in anticipation of the formal termination of the treaty.
Rwanda said it indicated it was prepared to accept such arrangements should the treaty be terminated, provided that new financial terms would be negotiated and agreed.
However, Rwanda said discussions between the two countries did not reach agreement. Kigali later received confirmation that “no future removals of individuals under the MEDP were scheduled or intended to be scheduled,” and that the UK had no intention of honouring further commitments under the treaty.
According to the statement, the United Kingdom also made clear that it had “no intention of making any further payment under the MEDP treaty” and had refused to make arrangements to resettle in the UK a portion of the most vulnerable refugees hosted in Rwanda.
Shortly after Rwanda filed its response to the Notice of Arbitration, the UK formally notified Rwanda of the termination of the treaty. In accordance with the treaty’s terms, the termination will take effect on March 16, 2026, although Rwanda maintains that obligations which accrued while the treaty was in force remain due and payable.
In the arbitral proceedings, Rwanda advances claims that the UK breached the agreed financial arrangements, breached Article 18 of the treaty in respect of those financial obligations, and breached Article 19 by refusing to make arrangements to resettle vulnerable refugees from Rwanda.
“Rwanda regrets that it has been necessary to pursue these claims in arbitration, but faced with the United Kingdom’s intransigence on these issues, it has been left with no other choice,” the statement said.
Despite the dispute, Rwanda said it remains committed to finding solutions to the global migration crisis and to continuing its role in hosting refugees and migrants who come to the country.
