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According to reports from American media outlets, the United States has arranged for up to 250 deported individuals to be relocated to Rwanda under this new initiative. The Government of Rwanda is said to have agreed to receive these migrants as part of a broader cooperation framework with Washington.

The agreement, first revealed by the Reuters news agency, was reportedly signed in Kigali in June of this year, following negotiations between American and Rwandan officials. While details of the plan remain limited, it is understood that those deported will be supported in their transition as they begin a new chapter in Rwanda.

Despite the reported deal, the U.S. government has yet to publicly comment on the specifics of the agreement. The arrangement is already drawing international attention, especially as several other countries have previously declined similar requests to accept deportees from the United States, citing legal, political, and humanitarian concerns.

Rwanda, which has in the past partnered with other countries on similar resettlement or asylum deals, appears to be positioning itself as a willing participant in global migration solutions. However, the agreement is likely to spark debate, particularly around the rights and welfare of the deported individuals, the terms of their relocation, and Rwanda’s capacity to support them sustainably.

Further details are expected as both governments respond to growing questions from the public and international observers.

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Police said that Ntwali was killed in the early morning of January 18 in Kigali, the capital, after a car hit a motorcycle taxi he was riding, according to news reports, which said that police arrested the driver of that car.

Ntwali reported critically on governance and human rights issues in Rwanda on the YouTube-based outlet Pax TV-Ireme News, which he founded, and worked as an editor for the privately owned newspaper The Chronicles. He had repeatedly received threats over his work, according to news reports.

After his death, Human Rights Watch quoted one of the journalist’s friends saying Ntwali had survived “staged accidents” in Kigali. The BBC quoted an attendee of Ntwali’s funeral saying that unidentified people had previously tried to hit a motorcycle the journalist was riding.

“Given the frequent and grave threats that John Williams Ntwali faced for his journalism, Rwanda has a duty to provide a credible explanation for his death,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal, in New York. “The current information available about his case leaves many questions unanswered. Authorities should also allow the involvement of U.N. and African Commission experts on extrajudicial killings in the investigation to bolster its credibility.”

A few days before his death, Ntwali aired a report on Pax TV-Ireme News, which has about 30,000 followers on YouTube, about the imprisonment of The Chronicles founder Christopher Kayumba, who is also a Rwandan politician. Ntwali also recently covered the plight of political prisoners in Rwanda, and allegations that detained YouTubers had faced torture behind bars.

That Human Rights Watch report said that Ntwali had told the organization in June 2022 that members of Rwanda’s intelligence agency ordered him to “change your tone” or else he would “see what happens.”

When asked for comment, Rwanda government spokesperson Yolande Makolo sent CPJ a link to a tweet saying that eight people had died in motorcycle taxi accidents in January, and that “groundless insinuations” did not help the case.

The U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Voice of America quoted a local journalist saying that he was with Ntwali on the evening of January 17, and that Ntwali seemed cautious and was worried about being surveilled.

In a separate interview with VOA, Ntwali’s widow said she last saw him on the afternoon of January 17, and he texted her that evening saying he was on a motorcycle, but was unreachable after sending that message.

When CPJ contacted the Rwandan National Police for comment via messaging app, a representative said police could not comment because the case had been referred to prosecutors. CPJ emailed the National Public Prosecution Authority for comment and sent queries via messaging app, but did not receive any replies.

CPJ also emailed the Rwandan Ministry of Interior for comment but did not receive any reply.

Authorities previously detained Ntwali for 10 days in 2007 over his coverage of events linked to Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and held him again in 2016 on rape charges, which were later dropped and which the journalist said were retaliation for his investigative work.

(Source: CPJ)

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