“The UK had asked Rwanda to quietly forego the payment based on the trust and good faith existing between our two nations,” Rwanda’s government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo stated on Monday on X.

She said the UK “breached this trust through unjustified punitive measures to coerce Rwanda into compromising our national security.”

Makolo also criticized UK Africa Minister Lord Collins of Highbury, accusing him of making “inflammatory and irresponsible comments” in parliament.

Rwanda and the previous Conservative government in the UK signed an agreement in April 2022 to allow some irregular migrants who arrive in the UK through the English Channel to be kept in Rwanda while their asylum claims are processed until a final decision is made on their cases.

Earlier, the UK imposed measures against Rwanda over its alleged support for the M23 rebels, including suspending direct financial aid, halting high-level attendance at Rwandan government events, and suspending defense cooperation.

Last week, Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry said these measures "do nothing to help the Democratic Republic of the Congo, nor do they contribute to achieving a sustainable political solution to the conflict" in eastern Congo.

The M23 rebel group, one of several armed factions in eastern Congo, captured the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu, resulting in more than 8,500 deaths and at least 5,700 injuries, according to Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba. (Anadolu Agency)