Nigeria’s foreign ministry summoned South Africa’s envoy to complain about xenophobic attacks against its citizens, weeks after a similar complaint was lodged by Ghana.
The ministry called the meeting to convey “profound concern regarding recent events that have the potential to impact the established cordial relations between Nigeria and South Africa,” it said in a statement posted on X on Monday.
Video posted on social media last week showed people being beaten during an anti-immigrant protest in Johannesburg, recalling previous episodes of attacks on immigrants in South Africa.
In 2008, about 60 people died and 50 000 were displaced in a wave of xenophobic violence, with foreigners blamed for everything from unemployment to poor government services.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has separately warned protesters against taking the law into their own hands, reminding them in a recent speech that their African neighbors were vital in supporting the anti-apartheid struggle as he sought to calm the situation.
Last month, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner in Accra after a video of an anti-immigrant group verbally attacking a Ghanaian citizen was circulated on social media.
The minister demanded the South African government do “everything in its power” to ensure the safety of Ghanaian citizens in the country.
BLOOMBERG
