Botswana has refused a request by the UK to accept illegal migrants deported from British soil, citing its own immigration challenges.
Foreign Minister Lemogang Kwape confirmed diplomatic channels were used by the UK to make the request.
“We cannot accept unwanted immigrants from another country while we are dealing with our own problems in the region,” Kwape told Newzroom Afrika.
Botswana currently hosts immigrants from neighboring countries like Zimbabwe and Somalia.
Kwape criticized the UK’s approach, suggesting they were simply “ferrying them to a faraway country.”
This statement reflects the international controversy surrounding the UK’s recently passed bill authorizing the deportation of illegal migrants to Rwanda, which agreed to host them.
The policy has been widely condemned by human rights groups and the UN.
The UK government, however, defends the bill as a necessary measure to deter dangerous migration journeys and dismantle the networks of criminal gangs who exploit migrants.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasized getting “flights off the ground” after the bill’s passing.
