Reports from Italy this week indicated that Rwanda is among African countries being considered for a new European Union-backed migration initiative.
The European country is said to be holding preliminary talks on establishing migrant return hubs in selected partner countries.
The reports, published on August 4, identified Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana among countries where initial negotiations have begun under the proposed initiative.
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Now, Rwanda has confirmed that discussions with Italy are underway, while stressing that the talks have not yet resulted in any agreement.
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Speaking in an exclusive interview with Royal FM on Thursday, August 6, the government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo said discussions are ongoing and are centred on Rwanda's experience in temporarily hosting vulnerable asylum seekers evacuated from Libya.
"There is no agreement yet. We are still in discussions," Makolo said.
She said one of the proposals under discussion draws on Rwanda's Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) in Gashora, which has been receiving vulnerable migrants evacuated from Libya through a partnership involving the African Union, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Rwandan government.
"One of the ideas that we are discussing is around the emergency transit mechanism that we have in Gashora, a safe place for families who are stranded, who have nowhere else to go, who are in danger," she said.
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Makolo explained that people received under such an arrangement would stay in Rwanda temporarily while their asylum claims are processed before either returning voluntarily to their home countries if conditions allow, or being resettled elsewhere.
"They are able to either go back to the country of origin if it's safe and if they want to, or to be resettled to other countries. So we are still in the discussion phase on that," she added.
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Why Rwanda remains interested
Makolo said Rwanda's approach to migration is shaped by its own history of displacement and decades of hosting refugees from across the region.
"Rwanda has always been involved in migration in many ways," she said, recalling that millions of Rwandans experienced displacement before and after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
"We are very familiar with this migration issue."
She said the country's experience has informed one of Africa's more open refugee policies, under which more than 100,000 refugees, mainly from DR Congo and Burundi, are allowed to work, access healthcare and rebuild their lives while awaiting durable solutions.
Makolo emphasized that Rwanda has spent the last three decades working with international organisations to provide protection for displaced people, making discussions on migration partnerships a natural extension of that role.
"Rwanda has always done our part as a member of the international community," she said.
She pointed to the Emergency Transit Mechanism as evidence that such partnerships can succeed.
"We have had thousands of those come in. And a lot of them have left, have been resettled to third countries. And that has worked really well," she said.
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Addressing criticism that followed the now-cancelled UK-Rwanda migration partnership, Makolo said Rwanda remains convinced it is pursuing the right objective.
"We know that we are doing this for the right reasons," she said.
"Even with the UK agreement that did not work out because they cancelled it, it was basically based on giving people a home. There is nothing wrong with giving people a home."
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Makolo added that previous experiences have strengthened Rwanda's approach.
"Everything that we do helps us to make sure that the next thing that we do goes better."
She also said Rwanda sees migration partnerships as part of efforts to prevent Africans from risking their lives through dangerous irregular migration routes.
"We do not want Africans making dangerous journeys across the desert and dying in the Mediterranean," she said.
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"We do not want young Africans to suffer in countries that are not welcoming to them... We want young Africans to be happy to live in their continent and to contribute to building this continent together."
Makolo said there is no timeline yet for concluding the discussions.
What the Italian reports say
According to the Italian reports published on August 4, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government is pursuing the establishment of pilot migrant return hubs in third countries as part of a broader European strategy to strengthen the management of irregular migration.
The reports said Italy is working with Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands on the proposal, which was presented during an extraordinary meeting of EU interior ministers.
Unlike Italy's previous migration arrangement with Albania, the proposed centres would be jointly managed by participating European countries and supported by European Union funding.
Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana were identified as the African countries where preliminary negotiations have begun.
Italian media also reported that Rome hopes the first pilot centres could become operational by 2027 as the country pushes for faster implementation of the European Union's new migration and return framework.
