Nigeria and Ghana have condemned ongoing anti-immigrant violence in South Africa and called for discussions on “Afrophobia” at the next African Union summit, Abuja said on Saturday.
South Africa has witnessed weeks of protests and unrest targeting undocumented immigrants, forcing tens of thousands of foreign nationals to leave the country.
Nearly 150,000 people have departed in recent weeks, according to an AFP tally based on figures from African countries that have repatriated their citizens.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry said the foreign ministers of the two West African countries discussed “recent Afrophobic protests and incidents targeting African nationals in South Africa” during a meeting on Friday.
The ministers “condemned all forms of xenophobia, Afrophobia, intolerance and violence against fellow Africans,” the ministry said.
The talks took place on the sidelines of a meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Liberia.
Nigeria has evacuated 1,490 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 economic opportunities.
The ministers called for “urgent, coordinated regional and continental responses” to tackle the underlying causes of anti-immigrant tensions.
Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Nigeria’s Sola Enikanolaiye said the issue of Afrophobia should be placed on the agenda for the next African Union summit scheduled for early next year.
In May, Ghana requested an AU debate on “xenophobic attacks” in South Africa, although it remains unclear whether the discussion took place.
Earlier this month, Ghana announced that a planned visit to Accra by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had been postponed.
AFP
