Nigeria and Ghana denounce anti‑immigrant attacks in South Africa, call for AU discussion

Nigeria and Ghana have condemned the surge of anti‑immigrant violence in South Africa and urged that “Afrophobia” be placed on the agenda of the upcoming African Union summit, a statement from Abuja said on Saturday.

The unrest, aimed at undocumented migrants, has forced tens of thousands to flee the country; an AFP tally based on figures from African states that have repatriated their nationals records almost 150,000 departures in recent weeks.

Ghanaian and Nigerian foreign ministers met on the sidelines of an ECOWAS meeting in Liberia and addressed the recent Afrophobic protests and incidents targeting African nationals in South Africa, condemning all forms of xenophobia, Afrophobia, intolerance and violence against fellow Africans.

Nigeria has evacuated 1,490 of its citizens from South Africa, while Ghana has repatriated at least 926 nationals. The two ministers emphasized the need for urgent, coordinated regional and continental responses and said the issue should be raised at the next AU summit early next year.

Ghana had asked the AU in May to debate xenophobic attacks in South Africa, and a planned visit by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to Accra earlier this month was postponed, AFP reported.