Musings From Abroad

Asylum seekers’ lawyers insist UK/Rwanda migrant deal unlawful

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2023

Lawyers representing a group of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom on Monday told the Court of Appeal in London that Britain’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda was unlawful.

One of their lawyers, Raza Husain argued that Rwanda was an authoritarian one-party state that did not tolerate opposition and imprisons, tortures, and murders opponents.

“There will only be any form of deterrent effect if a third country to which asylum seekers are removed is one to which they would not wish to go,” Husain said, arguing the government had failed to tread the line between deterring migrants and remaining within Britain’s human rights obligations.

The British government last year revealed plans to send thousands of migrants to the East African country as part of a 120 million pound ($148 million) deal to deter asylum seekers from crossing the English Channel from France in small boats.

A last-minute decision by the European Court of Human Rights, which placed an injunction banning any deportations until the conclusion of legal proceedings in Britain, prevented the first scheduled flight to Rwanda from taking off in June of last year.

The High Court in London decided the program was legal in December, but some human rights organizations and asylum seekers from countries like Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, and Vietnam are challenging that ruling.

But lawyers representing the asylum seekers say the government’s argument that Rwanda is a “safe third country” is flawed.

But the British government lawyers insisted that the deal with Rwanda was “subject to an exacting set of monitoring arrangements”, including by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, who has intervened in the appeal.

They said in court filings that evidence about Rwanda’s asylum system was of little relevance as it had no bearing on how asylum seekers would be dealt with under the deal with Britain.

Meanwhile, one of three judges hearing the case, Ian Burnett, the Lord Chief Justice said the issue of the safety of Rwanda would be the core issue.

Last year, a record 45,000 migrants entered Britain in small boats. Finding a solution to the issue of illegal immigration is one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s top concerns.

Musings From Abroad

Swiss company Mercuria partners Zambia’s IDC in new metals trading firm

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by Swiss commodities trader, Mercuria, on Thursday, it has established a metals trading arm with Zambia, the second-largest producer of copper in Africa.

The trading unit is jointly owned by Mercuria and an arm of Zambia’s Industrial Development Company (IDC), and its purpose is to allow Zambia to engage directly in the minerals trading market.

The joint venture “envisages the establishment of a vehicle to market and trade Zambian copper by mutual leverage,” according to a statement from Cornwell Muleya, the CEO of IDC.

The southern African nation wants to increase copper output to roughly 3 million metric tonnes within the next ten years, and in 2023, it produced roughly 698,000 tonnes of copper, down from 763,000 metric tonnes the year before.

In June, the Zambian government announced that it would establish a minerals trading unit.

Investors including First Quantum Minerals and Barrick Gold are ramping up production, with output set to receive a further boost once Vedanta Resources’ Konkola Copper Mines restart activity.

“Our joint venture with IDC marks a significant milestone for Zambia as it positions itself more strategically in the global minerals market,” Kostas Bintas, Mercuria’s global head of metals and minerals, said in the statement.

Musings From Abroad

Blinken to reveal UN Sudan funding additions

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Additional financing for humanitarian aid to Sudan and initiatives to strengthen civil society in the nation, where a conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, will be announced by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the United Nations on Thursday.

Blinken will make many announcements when he leads a UN Security Council meeting on Sudan on Thursday, which will centre on humanitarian aid and civilian protection, Deputy U.S. Representative to the UN Ned Price told reporters on Wednesday.

According to Price, the announcements would include more money for humanitarian help, initiatives to strengthen civil society, and the return of democracy.

“Sudan, unfortunately, has risked becoming a forgotten conflict,” Price said.

“So part of the reason the secretary … opted to convene a signature event on this very topic is to make sure it remains in the spotlight,” Price said.

For almost 18 months, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and Sudan’s army have been engaged in combat, resulting in a severe humanitarian crisis that has forced over 12 million people from their homes and made it difficult for U.N. organisations to provide aid.

A power struggle between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces preceded a planned shift to civilian administration, which sparked the conflict in April 2023.

Although the army declined to join this year’s U.S.-mediated peace negotiations in Geneva, the warring parties did pledge to increase assistance access, which prevented any movement towards a ceasefire.

Price stated that before President Joe Biden’s term ends next month, the United States would keep collaborating with allies to enhance humanitarian access in Sudan and eventually end hostilities.

“We are going to leave nothing on the field in our efforts to work with allies, with partners, with the Sudanese stakeholders themselves, on the issues that matter most – humanitarian access, the provision of humanitarian assistance, ultimately, the process by which we can work to get to a cessation of hostilities, which is most urgently needed,” he said.