Norway to take 500 people evacuated to Rwanda from Libya’s detention centres
Norway has agreed to take in nearly 500 people evacuated to Rwanda from Libyan detention centres, Rwanda’s foreign minister said on Wednesday, a sign some European nations are willing to welcome migrants despite rising populist sentiment.
Rwanda, from where more than 2 million people were displaced amid genocide in 1994, signed a deal with the United Nations in September that is meant to help resettle people detained in Libya while trying to reach Europe.
The migrants evacuated to Rwanda have been given asylum-seeker status there while the U.N refugee agency determines whether they are refugees.
“Norway accepted to receive close to 500 people and Sweden took in seven last month. Others are still waiting,” Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta told a news conference in the capital Kigali.
The Norwegian foreign ministry referred queries to the justice ministry, which was not immediately able to comment.
