Frustration and hope: the African migrants waiting it out in Rwanda
The fate of several migrants in transit in Kigali has been brought under the spotilght since Britain hatched a controversal deal with Rwanda in April to deport unwanted asylum seekers to the East African country thousands of kilometres away.
Residents live in small units at Gashora, which has seen almost 1,100 people come through its doors since 2019 when Rwanda agreed to offer shelter to refugees from Libya.
Rwanda has been offering shelter to refugees from Libya since 2019.
Many of them regret coming to Rwanda but the are not willing to go back home.
Banaga says he’s had a “frustrating and fruitless” time waiting in vain in a Rwandan transit centre for his Canadian asylum request to be approved.
The 33-year-old Sudanese said he is so fed up he is considering a trek back to war-torn Libya to try to make it to Europe across the Mediterranean, a perilous voyage that has taken the lives of many.
The scheme, which triggered outrage among rights groups, church leaders and at the United Nations, has been blocked by a European court although both Kigali and London insist they are committed to it going ahead.
