Rwanda has renewed its partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Union (EU) for hosting asylum-seekers evacuated from Libya, authorities said.
Under a four-year partnership, the Emergency Transit Mechanism center, in eastern Rwanda’s Bugesera District, will continue to host asylum-seekers through 2026, said Philippe Habinshuti, permanent secretary at the Rwandan Ministry of Emergency Management, Thursday.
This partnership is important to ensure that the asylum-seekers receive the necessary services to live decent lives at the transit center pending their resettlement, Habinshuti told reporters in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
Also on Thursday, the EU announced 22 million euros (about 23.6 million U.S. dollars) in additional funding to support the transit center.
In a statement, UNHCR Rwanda Representative Aissatou Ndiaye said the EU has been a vital partner and donor to UNHCR Rwanda’s operations over the last few years. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership through this latest round of funding. The needs of asylum-seekers and refugees trapped in Libya are immense,” she said.
Ndiaye also said that through the transit center and Rwandan government support, solutions are being found to bring asylum-seekers “to safety, first in Rwanda and then subsequently in third countries through resettlement.”