Africa is a very confusing place. At once an enchanting and tragic continent; it is both heaven and hell on earth.
When I worked in Africa as a project coordinator for developing countries, I would make myself adopt an African mentality before arriving anywhere in the continent, according to which I would let things flow and not believe everything I hear. Many African treat us, the Mzungo, or whites, not just as walking ATMs but as consumers of stories in which the line between truth and untruth has been especially blurred. It is easy to sell us, the "whites," dramas and tragedies that set off pangs of conscience and a desire to help. While this works particularly well with formerly colonialist countries, it turns out is also an effective strategy in Israel, a country that has never conquered an African territory.
So what remains of the horror stories depicted in the campaign against the deportation of illegal migrants to Rwanda that alleges we are putting lives at risk? This claim has been refuted; those arriving in Rwanda from Israel are not in mortal danger. Rwanda is a safe and organized place. If the deported migrants decide to leave Rwanda for Europe, they are knowingly putting their property and lives at risk.
The main reason migrants leave Rwanda, including to neighboring countries like Uganda and Kenya, is the difficult economic situation the migrants face and their inability to find work absent the regulation of their status there. This issue is indeed significant. But it is important to note that a majority of testimonies provided, repeatedly, to the Israeli public are from people deported to Rwanda in past years. Since the details of the new deportation agreement, which received approval from the High Court of Justice, have been kept secret by both the Israeli and Rwandan governments, one must hope officials in both countries have learned from their past mistakes.
Israel grants the deported migrants $3,500 upon departure. In some cases, savings accumulated during their stay in Israel have also been added to the grant. This amount is enough to cover living expenses in Rwanda for anywhere from a year to two years, assuming the funds are handled responsibly. Of course the standard of living in Rwanda will be very different to the one the migrants were accustomed to in Israel, so much so that they may even come to long for the "terrible" conditions of the holding facilities.
There is no legal obligation to provide illegal migrant workers a life of convenience, the likes of which they have grown accustomed to in certain Western states, if there is no justification not to deport them. Those who truly want to work will find a way.
Since the soon-to-be-deported migrants did not receive refugee status in Israel, a majority of them will likely not be afforded refugee status in Rwanda unless Rwandan authorities and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees can come to an agreement on the matter. The number of migrants deported to Rwanda who later returned to Eritrea and Sudan, their countries of origin, is proof that not all those who claimed their lives would be in danger if they were forced to leave Israel were in fact threatened.
Is Rwanda destined to serve as a permanent refuge for thousands of migrants deported from Israel or merely a station of transit? Those willing to make an effort and help develop the Rwandan economy need to take advantage of a fitting opportunity. Others, who wish to continue to live comfortable lives at the expense of others, will need to try their luck elsewhere.
