In a detailed official statement released on January 27, 2026, Rwanda explained that it formally initiated arbitration on November 24, 2025, by submitting a Notice of Arbitration to the Permanent Court of Arbitration under Article 22 of the MEDP Treaty.
The government described the partnership, originally initiated at the request of the United Kingdom, as “a bold new approach to deter the dangerous migration journeys which are causing untold suffering, while also addressing the global imbalance of economic opportunity, which is one of the underlying causes of mass irregular migration.”
Rwanda highlighted its own humanitarian credentials, noting that the partnership “reflects Rwanda’s commitment to protecting vulnerable people and builds on Rwanda’s track record of welcoming and hosting refugees and migrants from around the world.”
The country added that it “remains committed to finding solutions to the global migration crisis, including providing safety, dignity and opportunity to refugees and migrants who come to our country.”
The treaty entered into force on April 25, 2024. Yet, only months later, in July 2024, shortly after taking office, the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the MEDP was “dead and buried”.
“He did so without prior notice to Rwanda, contrary to the spirit of the partnership that had always characterised the MEDP.
“Later that day, Rwanda was informed that no future removals of individuals under the MEDP were scheduled or intended to be scheduled, and that the UK Government would consider the formal termination of the MEDP treaty in due course,” reads the statement.
Tensions over finances arose in November 2024 when the United Kingdom requested that Rwanda forgo two payments of £50 million that were due in April 2025 and April 2026, saying it was doing so in anticipation of the formal termination of the treaty.
Rwanda indicated it “was prepared to accept these arrangements should the treaty be terminated, provided that new financial terms would be negotiated and agreed.”
Discussions, however, did not ultimately take place and “the amounts remain due and payable under the treaty.”
The statement further states that the United Kingdom has since made clear that it has no intention of making any further payment under the MEDP treaty or of honouring its further commitment to make arrangements to resettle in the UK a portion of the most vulnerable refugees hosted in Rwanda.
Despite Rwanda’s attempts to move the UK from its entrenched position, these efforts have been unsuccessful.
Shortly after filing its response to Rwanda’s Notice of Arbitration, the UK notified Rwanda of the termination of the treaty, which took effect on March 16, 2026 in accordance with its terms.
Rwanda “sincerely regrets that the UK has decided to bring the partnership to an end.”
In the arbitral proceedings, Rwanda advances three claims: first, “a claim that the United Kingdom has breached an exchange of notes setting out the treaty’s financial arrangements”; second, “a claim of breach of Article 18 of the treaty in respect of these financial arrangements”; and third, “a claim that the UK has breached Article 19 of the treaty by refusing to make arrangements to resettle vulnerable refugees from Rwanda.”
The government stated that it “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.”
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