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Yolande Makolo

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Yolande Makolo, is a Rwandan women born to a congolese father of the Luba ethnic group from Kassai (DRC) and a Rwandan Mother, Yolanda Makolo, sister of Yvonne Makolo, patron of the Rwandair Airline, is one of the influential women who rose through the ranks within the establishment Rwandan [1]She a currently Rwanda government spokesperson.

Quotes

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  • Rwanda is deeply concerned about the conflict that is taking place across the Western Province border, of which spillover effects continue to endanger the lives of Rwandan civilians residing in the area,
  • The DRC government has failed to do its part to uphold these agreements that they signed. As a result, the conflict is prolonged and it puts people's lives in danger. And it continues the instability in this region that nobody wants. It is unnecessary.”
  • Our call is for everyone to commit to what was agreed on with Nairobi and Luanda Protocol so we can move towards peace and stability.
  • The region has come together, the leaders of this region are working hard, mostly committed to ensuring that peace is restored to that part of DR Congo, “So it's a DRC problem. Where we come in as Rwanda is the fact that nothing should threaten our territorial integrity.”
  • We do not want any spillover of the conflict in DR Congo into Rwanda. And we have put in place measures to ensure that it doesn't spill over.”
  • But we saw the consequences because it's right at our border and this is what we constantly tell the region and the international community that what is happening in the eastern DRC is a threat to our security because it is close to our border and we want peace.”
  • There was one injury yesterday from a stray bullet from clashes across the border and the man (civilian) who was injured is being treated, at the health center in Rubavu District. We are grateful that we did not have any (fatality).”
  • Despite ongoing regional efforts to bring about peace in eastern DRC Congo, there are aspects of the conflict that are not being talked about yet they are important because they affect the lives of civilians, both in the DR Congo and, indirectly, Rwanda.
  • These have to be talked about as well. I'm talking specifically about the proliferation of hate speech that is followed by attacks on people. We've seen that people have been attacked, people have died, homes have been burnt, and property has been looted all as the result of the hateful rhetoric that is propagated at the highest level of government, including by the security organs in the DRC.“This is something that the United Nations (UN) itself needs to take seriously because it's coming from within. Some of the statements issued to warn about the proliferation of hate speech and the attacks on these targeted communities in the DR Congo were basically ignored by mainstream media.”
  • They are not taken into consideration by other parts of the UN system, but this information has to be used to ensure the protection of all civilians, including Rwandans.”
  • Rwanda continues to ensure that its borders are protected, “This is why our armed forces are at the border. We've said this very openly and we will not hesitate to protect and to defend our borders and also protect our people. We have said this very clearly. What we will not allow is, for any kind of conflict to come across the border and we are prepared for that.”
  • We’re partnering with the UNHCR and the African Union to bring migrants who were stranded in Libya to safety in Kigali. Over 1,000 migrants have passed through this centre, many have been relocated to other countries.”This is just an illustration of Rwanda’s commitment to protecting refugees & vulnerable people around the world -a principle which always governs our international policy,
  • When the first flight lands here in Kigali, the new arrivals will be welcomed and will be looked after and supported to make new lives here. We will provide support with their asylum applications, including legal support and translation services,”
  • “We will provide decent accommodation and look after all their essential needs. We also want to make it clear that if people apply for asylum in Rwanda and their claim is rejected, through the process that we will have here, they will still have a pathway to legal residency in Rwanda and we welcome people from everywhere,
  • We do hope they chose to stay with and following the footsteps of so many who have made Rwanda their home and have flourished here,
  • We will be able to provide not just a safe haven these people are looking for but the opportunity to build new lives here and develop alongside Rwandans,
  • Rwanda is doing it for the right reasons and that the country has the experience of being a welcoming place for people living in precarious conditions.
  • We are determined to make this work. We understand that there might be opposition to this but we are asking that this programme be a given a chance because it’s a solution,”
  • “There are not many solutions. People are suffering, the asylum system is broken. It’s being taken advantage of by criminal gangs that are exploiting people, making false promises. People are risking their lives in these dangerous crossings,”
  • “Something has to give and we are happy to be working on this solution with our UK partners,”
  • We were expecting migrants from all over the world, people coming from countries with conflict, some may have been persecuted from where they are coming from, or maybe they are coming from countries that don’t have opportunities and we think that a lot of them have a misconception about what Rwanda is like and what Africa is like and to be quite honest some of these are perpetuated by media that does not reflect the reality of our countries,”
  • We will give them an opportunity to see what it’s like to live in this country. We do not consider living in Rwanda as a punishment. We don’t think anyone should,
  • We don’t think it’s immoral to offer a home to people, something that we have done here for more than 30 years and we’re doing this for the right reasons. So, people may have their own opinions about what this program is like, depending on where they come from, “But from where are we coming from, we’re doing this for the right reasons. We want Rwanda to be a welcoming place and we’ll do our best, to make sure that the migrants are taken care of, and that they’re able to build a life here,
  • The report authored by ‘independent experts’ reveals nothing new and falls short of addressing the root cause of the conflict in Eastern DRC, which is the existence of armed groups, including the FDLR which has operated there since 1994, despite the existence of the UN  Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
  • MONUSCO, which has been in DRC since 1999, has since come under fire from Congolese populations who accuse it of failing the country. Until recently, MONUSCO had said that there is no evidence that Rwanda is involved in the renewed insurgency in Eastern DRC.
  • There was “no truth whatsoever in Burundian President’s allegation referring to Rwanda.”
  • The Government of Rwanda rejects comments by H.E. Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic of Burundi, alleging Rwandan support for Burundian armed rebel groups based in Eastern DRC. Rwanda is not associated, in any way, with any Burundian armed group,” the statement read in part.
  • The Government of Rwanda urges the Government of Burundi to address their concerns through diplomatic channels where they can be resolved amicably,”
  • Rwanda will continue to play its role as a safe place for people, especially refugees and asylum seekers from across the globe looking for a place to call home. That is regardless of a recent court decision in the UK that purportedly deemed the country ‘unsafe’ for refugees.
  • The country cannot be deterred by different opinions from elsewhere because Rwanda and Rwandans know what it means to be a refugee or asylum seeker, and cannot abandon those in dire need for safety.
  • Rwandans have been refugees for 30 years from 1959 and the post-1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which saw millions more displaced to different neighbouring countries and beyond but later came back.
  • Rwandans know what it is to be on the move, or to be displaced, just because of the history of our country,” Makolo said, reiterating why the country maintains an open policy for refugees, asylum seekers and other categories of people in need of safety,
  • In the last almost 30 years, we’ve welcomed a lot of refugees to Rwanda. We have over 130,000 refugees who live here, mostly Congolese and Burundians, and in smaller numbers people from elsewhere on the continent and beyond, “We are not new to this kind of situation where people are coming in seeking safety and opportunity. We have we partnered with the UNHCR and the African Union to evacuate migrants, mostly Africans, who were stuck in Libya when the war started,”
  • Rwanda has received members of the School of Leadership of Afghanistan (SOLA), that first Afghan girls boarding school, who moved from Kabul to Rwanda for their own safety after the Taliban swept to power in 2021, all of which goes to show that Rwanda is safe. They’ve been here, close to two years and they live amongst us and the school started running immediately when they got here, and they’re bringing in new Afghani girls from refugee camps all over the world to join the school,”
  • “Rwanda is a welcoming country; we have been for decades now. We also have people come here to go to school or to start businesses. And we are open to that. Our migration policy is quite open,
  • Rwanda as a country believes in free movement of people, hence the open visa and visa on arrival policy for Africans, members of the Commonwealth and others looking to come into the country. This is a vision Rwanda shares with other countries under the African Union -to make the continent accessible for those wishing to come to compete for the opportunities Africa has to offer and develop along with others.
  • Asylum seekers relocated from the UK will not have a choice, pointing out that among other choices, Rwanda and the UK have been working together to ensure that they are integrated in the Rwandan society. “They will have a choice to live here with us and work. They will be facilitated to do that. With the partnership that we’re working on with the UK, we will ensure that they get these opportunities there, they will receive the safety that they need and they will get training in language and other skills,” “They will be able to go to school and they will live amongst us in Rwanda if they do want to go back home. We will not be deporting anyone or sending people back to dangerous situations, but they will have a choice to go back home if they want to,”
  • Rwanda is still dealing with challenges including inflation, increased cost of living but the government is working around the clock to cushion citizens and anyone else living in Rwanda from these shocks.
  • We’re not the only country facing these challenges,” she said, adding that the government is working with partners, including the UK, to address these issues and with the right investments in the program, the challenges will be addressed over the next five years.
  • We are happy with the progress that we have made but we’re not there yet. We will continue to work even as the debate on migration reaches around the world. We’re busy doing the work that we’ve all done,” she said, adding that both Rwanda and the UK are determined to make the arrangement work.
  • The UK-Rwanda partnership is seen as a model that can salvage thousands of young people, men, women and children from making desperate journeys across seas looking for safety as asylum seekers or economic opportunities.
  • We want to offer both [safety and economic opportunities] here and we want to do it in a way that makes sense and corrects the imbalance in opportunities between the global south and the north,” she said, adding that it would also remove the perception that opportunities are in the north.
  • “We don’t want to lose people to these desperate journeys across the Sahara and across the Mediterranean Sea. We’re losing brain power in Africa. We want young Africans to remain here and to build the continent,”
  • We want to build these opportunities here. We want people to come and live with us here, to build these opportunities and to benefit from the opportunities and make this a place of opportunity, a continent of opportunities
  • Rwanda has successfully that it is one of the safest countries for refugees as it has been attested by those who were evacuated from Libya, some of whom viewed being relocated to Rwanda as a dream come true, compared to the situation they were in before.
  • If the partnership with the UK works out as expected, it will be a solution to the global migration challenges, resulting from recent upheavals across the world which have led to many people fleeing their countries, posing a challenge for others, with no immediate solution in place
  • What I can say about the treaty that we are working on right now is that we reinforce the guarantees that are in the MOU’s. So, it’ll be the provisions already there. The reinforcing of these guarantees in the treaty will address the concerns of the court and will reassure anyone who has any worries about asylum seekers being sent back to the country that they came from,”
  • “Those are being addressed or they’ve already been addressed in the MOU. They will just be reinforced in the treaty,” she said, adding that it is not to confirm that the fears raised by the court were real but rather an effort to give more assurances to those still in doubt.
  • It is entirely a different issue because the laws in the country apply to nationals and non-national, pointing out that there are no exceptions when it comes to breaking the law.
  • This is ultimately a decision for the UK’s judicial system. However, we do take issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe third country for asylum seekers and refugees, in terms of refoulement. Rwanda and the UK have been working together to ensure the integration of relocated asylum seekers into Rwandan society,
  • Rwanda is committed to its international obligations, and we have been recognized by the UNHCR and other international institutions for our exemplary treatment of refugees,”
  • The court relied on extreme and speculative concerns based on the hypocritical criticisms of the UNHCR, which has on numerous occasions expressed its appreciation of Rwanda’s inclusive refugee policies, qualifying them as ‘exemplary’,”
  • “For example, their claim of “100% rejection rate” of asylum seekers from some parts of the world is dishonest – a total of two individuals from Syria and Yemen were indeed not considered for asylum because there was a faster and more appropriate path to legal residence, and these individuals are currently living and working in Rwanda,
  • Throughout this legal process we’ve been busy continuing to deliver progress for Rwandans, and working together with international partners to solve some of the biggest challenges that Africa and the wider world face. We take our humanitarian responsibilities seriously, and will continue to live up to them.”
  • Rwanda will maintain a welcoming policy and record of caring for refugees, adding that the political judgments made today were unjustified."
  • Rwanda will now focus on working with the UK on a binding treaty to re-emphasize already existing guarantees required for the partnership to succeed,”
  • The Supreme Court ruling was a decision of the UK judicial system, over which Rwanda had no control.
  • What we did object to is rather being portrayed as unsafe. Rwanda is a safe country in terms of refoulement, meaning sending asylum seekers back to the countries where they're persecuted. Rwanda does not do that. And this provision is included in the MoU."In order to address that concern, we will reemphasise it in the treaty that we're working on. So, that issue of being a safe country where asylum seekers will not be sent back is already being addressed and will be in the binding treaty."
  • Kigali entered the migration and economic development partnership "for the right reasons," including the need to address "bigger questions of inequality in opportunities" between the Global North and the South.
  • What I can say about the treaty that we are working on right now is that it will reemphasise the guarantees that are in the MoUs,"The provisions are already there. So, the reemphasising of these guarantees in the treaty will address the concerns of the court and will reassure anyone who has any worries about asylum seekers being sent back to the countries that they came from. They've already been addressed in the MoU. They will be reemphasised in the treaty."
  • This is ultimately a decision for the UK's judicial system. However, we do take issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe third country for asylum seekers and refugees, in terms of refoulement,"
  • On the wider issues covered in the piece, the broken global migration system is failing to protect the vulnerable, and empowering criminal smuggling gangs at an immeasurable human cost.”
  • “There is nothing compassionate about allowing this situation to continue, which is why Rwanda is proud to work in partnership with the UK government to provide a solution.”
  • We terminated our contract with Mr. Fane-Saunders’ company more than a year ago and the comments he made should be disregarded as they carry no weight,”
  • Because of Rwanda’s recent history, our country has a deep connection to the plight of those seeking safety and opportunity in a new land. This has shaped Rwanda’s approach to migration and asylum issues, and it is why Rwanda is the right place to support those looking for sanctuary and opportunity. “This continues to be central to Rwanda’s reconstruction journey. Discrimination of any form is not tolerated here. This is enshrined in our constitution and upheld by our commitments to the rule of law.”
  • Rwanda and the UK operate from a position of mutual respect and open dialogue.“The Rwandan High Commissioner to the UK plays an important role in maintaining our strong bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom as we collaborate productively across many areas, including migration.”


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