The ruling was issued on May 15, 2026, and officially published on June 1, 2026, by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands.

The dispute arose under Article 22 of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Rwanda and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the Provision of an Asylum Partnership to Strengthen Shared International Commitments on the Protection of Refugees and Migrants.

Rwanda had initiated arbitration proceedings on November 24, 2025, arguing that the UK failed to comply with obligations under Articles 18 and 19 of the agreement as well as financial arrangements agreed through notes verbales exchanged on June 20, 2024.

During hearings held from March 18 to 20, 2026 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Rwanda requested the tribunal to declare that £50 million for Year 2 of the agreement remained due and payable under paragraph 2.3.2 of the 2024 Finance Note.

Kigali further argued that the UK breached the agreement by failing to make the payment within 10 days of April 13, 2025, and also sought an additional £50 million for Year 3, or alternatively a reduced payment of £10.4 million following the agreement’s termination on March 16, 2026.

Rwanda additionally accused the United Kingdom of breaching Articles 18 and 19 of the agreement and requested compensation amounting to £6 million or, alternatively, a formal apology from London. It also asked for pre- and post-award interest on outstanding sums and any additional relief deemed appropriate by the tribunal.

For its part, the United Kingdom asked the tribunal to dismiss all claims submitted by Rwanda, maintaining that it had acted within the framework of the agreement.

In its final ruling, the tribunal rejected Rwanda’s financial claim concerning the £50 million Year 2 payment by majority decision. It also unanimously rejected Rwanda’s claims regarding Year 3 payments, allegations that the UK breached Article 18 and Article 19, and all related compensation requests.

The tribunal further ruled that each party would bear the costs of its own legal representation, while arbitration costs would be shared equally between Rwanda and the United Kingdom.

Following the tribunal’s authorization process for redacting confidential information, the PCA published the award, the dissenting opinion, written submissions by both parties, and hearing transcripts and recordings on its official case repository.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, headquartered at the Peace Palace in The Hague, is an intergovernmental organization established under the 1899 Hague Convention. It currently administers numerous international disputes involving states, public entities, international organizations, and private parties.