Nigeria and Ghana have jointly condemned the ongoing wave of anti-immigrant violence in South Africa and called for the issue of Afrophobia to be included on the agenda of the next African Union (AU) Summit.
The call followed a meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, and his Ghanaian counterpart, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on the sidelines of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting held in Liberia.
In a joint position released after their discussions, both ministers strongly denounced all forms of xenophobia, Afrophobia, intolerance, and violence targeted at fellow Africans. They also stressed the need for urgent, coordinated regional and continental measures to address the root causes of the growing anti-immigrant tensions.
South Africa has witnessed weeks of protests and unrest directed at undocumented immigrants, forcing large numbers of foreign nationals to flee the country. According to figures compiled from African governments repatriating their citizens, nearly 150,000 people have left South Africa in recent weeks.
Nigeria has so far evacuated 1,490 of its citizens from South Africa, while Ghana has repatriated at least 926 nationals.
South Africa, Africa’s most industrialised economy, has long attracted migrants from across the continent seeking better economic opportunities. However, recurring outbreaks of violence against foreign nationals have continued to raise concerns among African governments.
The two foreign ministers agreed that the growing trend of Afrophobia should be formally discussed at the next African Union Summit scheduled for early next year.
Earlier this year, Ghana urged the African Union to deliberate on the increasing incidents of xenophobic attacks in South Africa, although it remains unclear whether the proposal was adopted.
The diplomatic fallout from the crisis also prompted Ghana earlier this month to postpone a planned visit to Accra by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Reaffirming their commitment to African unity, both countries pledged to continue working through regional and continental institutions to safeguard the safety, dignity, and rights of African citizens living and working across the continent.
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