Rwanda

LONDON — The British government was preparing Tuesday to send a first set of asylum seekers to Rwanda, though Prime Minister Boris Johnson was defending the ...

“The people who are immoral in this case are the people traffickers trading in human misery,” she said. Whether their claim is approved or rejected these migrants will be offered a legal pathway to stay in Rwanda.” The survey also found a striking difference reflecting political affiliation, with 74 percent of Conservatives supporting the policy and only 19 percent of Labour voters support it. Supreme Court Judge Robert Reed ruled Tuesday that if a judicial review of the government policy, scheduled for July, finds the flights are illegal, those who already had been sent to Rwanda could be brought back. “Our policy is completely legal, it’s completely moral.” It was unclear how many people would be on the 200-seater flight Tuesday night to the east African country.

Refugees and activists from Rwanda and the DRC say the deal could have serious implications for the wider region.

“The partnership agreement between the UK and Rwanda is an insult to the Rwandan people,” she said. “My father is a political prisoner in Rwanda because he criticised a ruthless dictatorship with the same president for 28 years,” Kanimba told Al Jazeera. “Our work has been about showing the international community what is truly happening in Rwanda. These are conditions that lead to political prisoners, arbitrary killings and silencing of journalists and critics. The current UK deal is one that ties into that increasing culture of impunity, analysts say. Despite the presence of more than 16,000 UN peacekeepers, these groups continue to inflict horror on communities and control territory in some areas. According to the New York-based think tank Council on Foreign Relations, some of these refugees were génocidaires of Hutu ethnicity including members of the infamous Interahamwe group. Despite recent economic gains, more than half of its estimated 13 million people live on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank.

LONDON (AP) — British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says the first deportation flight to Rwanda will take off Tuesday evening, regardless of how many people ...

British media reported that the number of migrants scheduled to be on a Tuesday night flight is now seven, down from 31 migrants told last week they would be leaving. Migrants have long used northern France as a launchpad to reach Britain, a destination favored by many for reasons of language or family ties, or because of the country’s perceived open economy. The U.K. Supreme Court refused to hear one last-ditch appeal Tuesday after lower courts refused to block the deportations. The government contends this will deter people from paying criminals to help them take the risky journey across the English Channel in small boats. Tensions between Rwanda and Congo also took a worrying turn Monday, when Congo's military accused its neighbor of backing rebels who seized a Congolese town. The challenges to deportation continue, albeit on narrow legal issues.

Migrant advocacy groups have attacked the policy as inhumane and illegal, but the first deportation flight is set to go ahead as scheduled on Tuesday ...

“The shame is our own, because our Christian heritage should inspire us to treat asylum seekers with compassion, fairness and justice, as we have for centuries.” If the British government is truly interested in protecting lives, it should work with other countries to target the people smugglers and provide safe routes for asylum seekers, not simply shunt migrants to other countries, Grandi said after the ruling. Migrants deported under the program would be forced to apply for asylum in Rwanda, not Britain. The U.K. paid Rwanda $158 million up front and will make additional payments based on the number of people deported.

Kigali, the African Union and the United Nations refugee agency agreed in 2019 that migrants held in squalid Libyan detention centres could be voluntarily ...

This is not a prison. "The migrants will be free. The Libyan deal was reasonable because it protected migrants from torture, sexual violence, and indefinite detention, officials said. Trying to reach Europe, he got stuck in a Libyan detention facility for a year before the United Nations took him to Rwanda's Gashora camp. When I reach Europe or Canada I will study and work," echoed Eritrean Teame Goitom. "I left Eritrea because there is a dictatorship. But critics of the plan have raised questions over its cost and ethics.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his plan to send asylum-seekers of various nationalities to Rwanda just hours before the first plane was set ...

British media reported that the number of migrants scheduled to be on a Tuesday night flight is now seven, down from 31 migrants told last week they would be leaving. Migrants have long used northern France as a launchpad to reach Britain, a destination favored by many for reasons of language or family ties, or because of the country’s perceived open economy. The U.K. Supreme Court refused to hear one last-ditch appeal Tuesday after lower courts refused to block the deportations. The government contends this will deter people from paying criminals to help them take the risky journey across the English Channel in small boats. Tensions between Rwanda and Congo also took a worrying turn Monday, when Congo’s military accused its neighbor of backing rebels who seized a Congolese town. The challenges to deportation continue, albeit on narrow legal issues.

LONDON — With the first plane set to take off Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphatically defended Britain's plan to send asylum-seekers of various ...

The world had more than 26 million refugees in the middle of last year, more that double the number two decades ago, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Those who reached Britain could be sent back to the EU countries they traveled from. When Britain was a member of the European Union, it was part of a system that required refugees to seek asylum in the first safe country they entered. Critics say that stability comes at the cost of political repression. British media reported that individual appeals had whittled down the number of potential deportees to seven from more than 31 on Friday. The prime minister announced an agreement with Rwanda in April in which people who enter Britain illegally will be deported to the East African country.

The United Kingdom plans to fly a group of asylum-seekers, regardless of their nationality, to Rwanda on Tuesday. It's part of a new British immigration ...

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LONDON — With the first plane set to take off Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphatically defended Britain's plan to send asylum-seekers of various ...

In exchange for accepting them, Rwanda would receive millions of pounds (dollars) in development aid. Earlier in the day, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had emphatically defended the plan. The decision to scrap the Tuesday flight caps three days of frantic court challenges as immigration rights advocates and labor unions sought to stop the deportations.

Lawyers make successful emergency application to European court that could lead to grounding of first flight.

“When the first flights land here in Kigali the new arrivals will be welcomed and looked after and supported to make new lives here. “Government claims that this deal would act as a deterrent to end the model of people-traffickers, have already been disproven with the numbers of people travelling across the channel almost doubling on the same time last year. Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, said: “We’re pleased the courts have ruled to stop this flight. A letter from the court said that the asylum seeker should not be removed on Tuesday evening. The flight, which cost an estimated £500,000, had already been paid for from the public purse, a government source confirmed. “We will not be deterred from doing the right thing and delivering our plans to control our nation’s borders,” she said.

The inaugural flight of a controversial UK government scheme to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda was stopped on Tuesday at the eleventh hour, after an ...

The UK has said it will pay Rwanda £120 million ($145 million) over the next five years to finance the program. According to data from the UK Home office, 28,526 people arrived to the United Kingdom on small boats in 2021. While the cost of individual flights varied depending on the destination, the figures mean that on average, the Home Office spent £183,000 per flight or £9,700 per person. "Where we're coming from, we're doing this for the right reasons. More recently, the number of people coming on small boats has been increasing. "Access to the UK's asylum system must be based on need, not on the ability to pay people smugglers. Church of England leaders on Tuesday called it an "immoral policy that shames Britain" in a joint letter The government plans to move forward with the project, she also said. "Many are desperate people fleeing unspeakable horrors. "BREAKING: Last ticket cancelled," tweeted Care4Calais, upon news of the flight cancellation. Sending people fleeing violence to a country thousands of miles away was already cruel and callous. "Rwanda is a brave country recovering from catastrophic genocide.

Great Britain is preparing to send its first group of asylum-seekers to Rwanda amid outcries and legal challenges. Now refugees who arrived in the East ...

“Look, many people are unemployed here,” said Rashid Rutazigwa, a mechanic in the capital. There is no chance to get a job or do vending on the street.” But he described Rwanda as an oasis of order in the region. “The U.K. government, my message to them is that human beings are human beings. But those sent to Rwanda under the deal with Britain must apply for asylum in Rwanda. Britain will be central there as it continues to face questions about its deal with Rwanda. Those set to arrive under Rwanda’s new agreement with Britain will be housed in shelters around Kigali with features like private rooms, televisions and a swimming pool. Rwandan authorities have said the agreement would initially last for five years, with the British government paying 120 million pounds ($158 million) upfront to pay for housing and integrating the asylum-seekers. Rwanda is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and still among the least developed despite its focus on modernizing since the country’s 1994 genocide. The U.K. government’s deportation plan has been widely criticized, including by Prince Charles, according to newspaper reports. For years, human rights groups have accused Rwanda’s government of cracking down on perceived dissent and keeping tight control on many aspects of life, from jailing critics to keeping homeless people off the streets of Kigali. The government denies it. Hundreds of people sent previously to Rwanda under the deal with the U.N. have since been resettled in third countries, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Britain is expected to pay more as Rwanda accepts more migrants, although the exact number of people the U.K. is expected to send isn’t known.

Britain canceled a flight that was scheduled to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda late Tuesday after the European Court of Human Rights intervened, ...

The world had more than 26 million refugees in the middle of last year, more that double the number two decades ago, according to the U.N. refugee agency. The decision to scrap the Tuesday flight capped three days of frantic court challenges as immigration rights advocates and labor unions sought to stop the deportations. Britain in recent years has seen an illegal influx of migrants from such places as Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Iraq and Yemen. Last November, 27 people died when their boat sank in the waters between France and England. Johnson announced an agreement with Rwanda in April in which people who enter Britain illegally will be deported to the East African country. But after the appeals, no one remained.

LONDON — With the first plane set to take off Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphatically defended Britain's plan to send asylum-seekers of various ...

In exchange for accepting them, Rwanda would receive millions of pounds (dollars) in development aid. Earlier in the day, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had emphatically defended the plan. The decision to scrap the Tuesday flight caps three days of frantic court challenges as immigration rights advocates and labor unions sought to stop the deportations.

The government wants to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, in a bid to reduce Channel crossings.

The total figure this year is set to be much higher than last year, according to Border Force union officials. In 2021, 75% of arrivals were men aged 18 to 39. Of the 2,463 people surveyed, 44% backed the policy - including 27% who "strongly" supported it. Rwanda says this will only be a few "outlier" cases. The Supreme Court is due to hold a judicial review into the policy in July. If it says it is unlawful, asylum seekers sent to Rwanda could return to the UK. Some asylum seekers who arrive in the UK are to be removed and flown to Rwanda.

In today's newsletter: Boris Johnson said 'tens of thousands' would be sent to Rwanda. Last night the number on the first flight was reduced to zero.

Amid the noise around “cancel culture” and the “dangers of wokery”, it’s pleasing to see how a celebrity can go about making swift amends for a wrong – and have it welcomed by critics. The front page of the Financial Times says “Coinbase to cut almost a fifth of staff as crypto crunch worsens”. undermining everything that we are trying to do”. The reality appears to be a predictable set of legal challenges which the government is likely to have been advised would succeed. While it has been reported that the vast majority of the appeals are under article 8 of the Human Rights Act, the “right to family life”, Diane says: “We don’t know about every case, because we can’t attend them. The Times reports that the Home Office’s own modelling suggests that the true number likely to be eligible for resettlement in Rwanda in a year would be about 300. Dominic Raab walks back Johnson’s initial “tens of thousands” figure, saying he wants to “manage expectations” around the policy. The value of the homes at risk is in the tens of billions of pounds. But Diane has spoken to refugees who describe “50 people in a room, and a few being picked off by officials – you go left, you go right. Sturgeon said she had a mandate to do so as she released a new report making the case for independence. Before the headlines, a quick note to say that tomorrow Nimo and I will be hosting First Edition Live, discussing the most pressing issues and top stories with experts – starting with the future of the Conservative party. Today’s newsletter, with the Guardian’s Diane Taylor, is the anatomy of a policy that started with a very big number, and has now – at least for the moment – vanished into thin air. And then, to the jubilation of campaigners and lawyers who had been working to keep the flight from leaving, their ticket was cancelled too.

A Tuesday flight was canceled after the European Court of Human Rights, which said the British plan had a chance of causing "irreversible harm."

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Britain pressed on with its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda on Wednesday despite a last-minute intervention by European judges that grounded the ...

This is due to take place next month. It may very well be and all these options are under constant review," Johnson said on Tuesday. Charities, political opponents and religious leaders have accused the government of waging an "inhumane" battle against asylum seekers.

LONDON (AP) — The British government vowed Wednesday to organize more flights to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda, after a last-minute court judgment ...

More than 28,000 migrants entered the U.K. last year by crossing the English Channel, up from 8,500 in 2020. The European court's judgment on Tuesday didn't overrule British decisions, which declined to ground the flight as a whole. U.K. courts refused last week to ground the first flight, scheduled for Tuesday, but the number due to be aboard was whittled down by appeals and legal challenges. Nando Sigona, a migration expert at the University of Birmingham, said the Rwanda plan “may lead to a change in the profile of migrants” crossing the Channel. A full trial of the legality of the U.K. government plan is due to be heard in the British courts by the end of July. About 10,000 have arrived so far this year. There are also concerns about the migrants' treatment in Rwanda, the most densely populated country in Africa. While Rwanda was the site of a genocide that killed hundreds of thousands of people in 1994, the country has built a reputation for stability and economic progress since then, the British government argues. The U.K. argues that migrants who use that route should not be allowed to seek refuge in Britain because they could have applied for asylum in France, a safe country. Human rights lawyer Frances Swaine, who represents one of the people due to be sent to Rwanda, urged the government to wait for that decision before organizing any more deportation flights. The European Court of Human Rights— an international tribunal supported by 46 countries including the U.K. — ruled late Tuesday that an Iraqi man due to be on the plane shouldn't fly, saying he faced “a real risk of irreversible harm.” That allowed the final few migrants on the plane to win reprieve. Under a deal signed in April between Britain and Rwanda, the U.K. government plans to deport to Rwanda some of the people who arrive in the U.K. as stowaways or in small boats. Home Secretary Priti Patel said ”preparation for the next flight begins now” despite legal rulings that none of the migrants earmarked for deportation could be sent to the East African country.

In this episode: Hamza Moukhtar Tejani, refugee from Darfur; Qays Sadiqi (@QaysSediqi), former Sudanese refugee, now immigration, public law and civil liberties ...

Hamza Muktareq Tejani travelled thousands of kilometres and spent all his resources trying to escape the conditions in Darfur. Six years later, he found himself in the United Kingdom, the place he wanted to call home. Summit of (some of) the Americas Then, he received some shocking news, official documents from the government that said he would be relocated to Rwanda. He could be one of thousands of refugees the UK could be sending away.

LONDON (AP) — The British government vowed Wednesday to organize more flights to deport asylum-seekers from around the world to Rwanda, after a last-minute ...

As far as Johnson and Priti Patel are concerned, the terrified migrants are just hapless extras, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde.

But of course, the point about “annoying all the right people” is that it can only be thought of as a policy platform by the hopelessly jejune – ie the ordinary people who put the populist in question in power, but whom all populists secretly hate. But it changes next to nothing, because “annoying all the right people” is what you do when you can’t think of anything better to do. “Annoying all the right people” isn’t a programme for government. It’s not just politics where “annoying all the right people” has been apotheosised – though under a range of global populists, it inescapably has been. Donald Trump’s promise to build a wall between the US and Mexico was a prime instance of annoying all the right people, with those wondering why the structure was failing to materialise continually scoffed at by various of his elite supporters. But eventually, someone will discover a tablet – either stone or iPad – inscribed into which are the words THIS WILL ANNOY ALL THE RIGHT PEOPLE. “Aha!” the intrepid anthropologist will breathe.

The British government is vowing to organize more flights to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda after a last-minute court judgment grounded the first plane due ...

Scores more arrived Wednesday, a day of calm seas and sunshine. More than 28,000 migrants entered Britain last year by crossing the English Channel, up from 8,500 in 2020. Human rights groups argue that the plan rides roughshod over the protections afforded to refugees under rules set up after World War II. They have called the idea inhumane and a waste of money. A spokesman for the prime minister: “We are keeping all options on the table," including legal reforms. If successful, they will stay in the African country, rather than returning to Britain. A full trial of the legality of the Rwanda plan is due to be heard in the British courts by the end of July.

Asylum seekers at Gashora transit centre say they fear reaching UK and ending up where they started after torturous journey.

But shaking her head, she added: “I do not accept this agreement between Rwanda and the UK. People who arrived in the UK passed through a lot of bad things, for example torture, and things that threatened their lives. But people in Gashora could be resettled in the UK if they qualify. In July 2019 I tried to cross on a boat with 350 people but the boat was intercepted and I was taken back to Libya. It was very scary. Fighting back tears, Gomaa said her husband “went missing” in Sudan. She did not give more details but added: “I wanted to leave Sudan because it is dangerous and there is a lack of security. I have heard that in the UK asylum seekers are being deported. “I wanted to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to get to the UK. I had friends that crossed illegally.

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, delivered an oral statement to the House of Commons on the government's Migration and Economic Development Partnership with ...

But Madam Deputy Speaker, as you referred to in the earlier point of order, on this side of the House, such accusations are a grotesque slur. And between 80 to 100 million people are now displaced and others are on the move seeking better economic opportunities. We are a generous and welcoming country, as has been shown time and time again. Madam Deputy Speaker, the case for our partnership with Rwanda bears repeating. Meanwhile, this government wants to get on with delivering not just what the British people want but reforming our systems so yes, they are firm but equally Madam Deputy Speaker, so they are fair to those who pay for them and fair to those who need our help and support. Our domestic courts were of the view that the flight could go ahead. Now Madam Deputy Speaker, I have always said that I will look at all proposals to reduce illegal migration and illegal entry into our country, and even those that the opposite benches might prepare to put forward, but we still wait for them. But of course, I’m afraid Madam Deputy Speaker, that the usual suspects have set out to thwart and even campaign against these efforts and with that, Madam Deputy Speaker, the will of the British people. The global asylum system is broken. But Madam Deputy Speaker, we simply have to focus our support on those who most need it the most. And this Partnership sends a clear message that illegal entry will not be tolerated Madam Deputy Speaker while offering a practical, humane way forward for those who arrive to the UK by illegal routes. Now Madam Deputy Speaker, I welcomed the decisions of our domestic courts, the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court, to uphold our right to send the flight.

A flight chartered to send asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda as part of a new government policy was grounded following an intervention by the European ...

When it comes to deportation, the logic is that removing a person from a state that adheres to the European convention on human rights to one that doesn’t makes it very difficult to ensure that their rights will be properly protected. While no state has withdrawn from the convention in the past 50 years, if the UK does so it would follow Vladimir Putin’s Russia, which will cease to be a party to the European convention this year. In this case, the court cited concerns raised by the UN high commissioner for refugees that asylum seekers moved to Rwanda as part of the plan will not be able to access “fair and efficient procedures” related to their refugee status claims. The court is not connected to the European Union, and after Brexit, the UK remains a member. The ECHR is a Strasbourg-based human rights court that deals with compliance with the European convention on human rights. At this point, it only stated that the national and European courts should be given more time to decide this case properly.

Britain vows to organize more flights to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda after a last-minute court judgment grounded the first plane due to take off.

Scores more arrived Wednesday, a day of calm seas and sunshine. A spokesman for the prime minister: “We are keeping all options on the table,” including legal reforms. More than 28,000 migrants entered Britain last year by crossing the English Channel, up from 8,500 in 2020. Britain paid Rwanda $150 million up front for the deal. If successful, they will stay in the African country, rather than returning to Britain. A full trial of the legality of the Rwanda plan is due to be heard in the British courts by the end of July.

The British government Wednesday promised to press on with plans to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda, a day after a flight scheduled to take the first group ...

It says the prospect of deportation to Rwanda will deter people from attempting such journeys by small boat, destroying the business model of people smugglers. However, the legal battles are certain to continue and the legality of the policy will be challenged in court next month. When he announced the policy in April, he admitted that it was likely to face legal challenges. Yvette Cooper, who speaks for the opposition Labour Party on home affairs, described the episode as a “shambles.” Our legal team are reviewing every decision made on this flight and preparation for the next flight begins now.” Coffey said she was “highly confident” a flight would proceed.

The flight was stopped by an intervention by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over legal issues surrounding one of the people on board—a 54-year-old ...

In the population, however, there is massive opposition to the Rwanda policy and scapegoating of immigrants and asylum seekers generally. The policy was also too expensive, she said, as “they still paid Rwanda £120m and hired a jet that hasn’t taken off”. Cooper told MPs on Wednesday that the Rwanda flight “shambles” was “putting our country to shame”. The initial response of Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper to the ECHR ruling was a complaint that the government’s policy “isn’t workable” and “won’t tackle criminal gangs”—a line that Patel herself has used to justify the policy. Strasbourg”. Patel proclaimed the ECHR had not declared the Rwanda policy illegal, concealing the fact it has required to the government to prove the legality of its policy before any flights can be allowed. As it became clear on Monday that a number of those served with notices had successfully challenged their removal orders, leading Tory Brexiteer Peter Bone said in Parliament, “We hear that a number of the people who were to be on the flight to Rwanda tomorrow have somehow—miraculously—got some leftie lawyer to intervene and stop it. The ECHR is overseen by the European Convention on Human Rights, of which the UK is a founding member.

Years of issues with Philly Pride culminated in accusations of racism and transphobia. And the problems aren't unique to Philadelphia.

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A deportation flight bound for Rwanda carrying asylum seekers from the United Kingdom did not take off as scheduled after a last-minute intervention by the ...

However, following a decision by an out of hours judge in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, minutes before our flight's departure, the final individuals remaining on the flight had their removal directions paused while their claims are considered." "The European Court of Human Rights decided to grant an urgent interim measure, under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court, in the case of K.N. v. the United Kingdom, an asylum-seeker from Iraq who was facing imminent removal to Rwanda, following the recent establishment of an asylum partnership arrangement between the UK Government and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda," the court said in a statement.

A map of Africa set the mood right from the start in Virginia Mullin's Levy Lecture presentation and photographic slideshow on Tuesday, June 14, as she.

Over the years, Mullin said she has been tutored by a professional photographer. The weapons were to protect the gorillas from poachers. Mullin has traveled the world for both business and pleasure.

Just days after narrowly escaping a historic domestic defeat, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson now finds himself fighting two battles on the global ...

“Northern Ireland may have been the thorniest issue in the Brexit debate, yet it seems that that status is not reflected in the level of concern or division among voters in Great Britain,” Curtice wrote in May. But Sinn Fein, which seeks to unify Ireland as a republic, has become the largest party in Northern Ireland — and is leading polls in Ireland itself, too. Sinn Fein supports the protocol — the majority of the public in Northern Ireland do, according to most polls. The only nation to leave the Council of Europe is Russia, which was pushed out (despite its own efforts to leave) after the invasion of Ukraine this year. Johnson’s government negotiated and signed the Northern Ireland Protocol as part of the 2020 E.U.-U.K. Withdrawal Agreement. On Monday, Britain announced it would unilaterally pull out of parts of that agreement — sparking a backlash from E.U. officials who said Britain was breaking international law. Johnson and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss have blamed Brussels for not renegotiating the protocol even as it leads to political anger from Northern Ireland’s unionists. E.U. officials like Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney say the British government is trying to “deliberately ratchet up tension with an E.U. seeking compromise” by unilaterally rewriting the agreement. Home Secretary Priti Patel had said it would break the “business case” for smugglers who prayed on these vulnerable people. But these battles over the Irish border and flights to Rwanda are not just a distraction. So far, there have been only shrugs from the British government. It seems a strange time to go to war. You’re reading an excerpt from the Today’s WorldView newsletter.

A spokesman for a top military official in eastern Congo said Wednesday that if Rwanda “wants war, it will have war."

Relations between Rwanda and Congo have been fraught for decades. “If it wants war, it will have war," he said, adding: "No one will occupy a single centimeter of our territory.” Rwanda's government, meanwhile, has blamed Congolese forces for injuring several civilians in cross-border shelling. M23 has in turn accused Congolese officials of stoking xenophobia. Rwanda and Uganda have denied for years that they support the M23 rebel movement. We are not afraid of it and we will fight it,” Ekenge said.