By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The High Commissioner of Rwanda to UK, Ambassador Johnston Busingye, has been caught in an undercover sting operation, criticising the UK government’s stance on asylum seekers, describing it as “absolutely wrong.”
Ambassador Busingye, who initially supported the UK government’s plan to send asylum seekers to his country, however emphasised the importance of UK ministers delving into the underlying causes of migration.
In a scathing critique, he asserted that it was “immoral” for Britain to tout itself as a compassionate nation while pursuing its current immigration policies.
“It is immoral for this country to still see themselves as the refugee country, the solace country, the protection country, the compassion country.
“They enslaved millions of people for 400 years. They destroyed India, they destroyed China, they destroyed Africa,” he said.
The covertly filmed encounter took place during a meeting at the Travellers Club in St James’s, London, in August.
The operation was conducted by the campaign group Led By Donkeys in collaboration with journalist Antony Barnett.
Busingye, under the impression that he was meeting a representative of a southeast Asian company interested in investing in Rwanda, candidly expressed his views.
This criticism comes on the heels of United Kingdom’s Home Secretary, Suella Braverman’s recent call for a comprehensive reform of the global migration system, where she warned that uncontrolled migration posed an “existential challenge” to Western nation’s.
Analysts say Amb. Busingye’s criticism raises question about UK’s human rights profile with the plan to transport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
In June, the Court of Appeal ruled that the government’s plan is unlawful.
Consequently, the government has lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court, with a hearing scheduled this month.
