By Gabriel Manyati
In a significant diplomatic step, Ghana and Nigeria have jointly urged that the rising xenophobic violence targeting African migrants in South Africa be prioritised on the agenda of the next African Union summit.
The call followed a high-level bilateral meeting between Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sola Enikanolaiye on the sidelines of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Mid Year Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Both ministers firmly condemned the attacks on fellow Africans. They denounced xenophobia, Afrophobia, intolerance and violence in the strongest terms.
Migrants should not be subjected to mob violence or collective punishment based on their nationality, the joint statement emphasised.
The two West African nations are advocating for coordinated regional and continental measures to safeguard African migrants. This development highlights growing concern across the continent over repeated violence against fellow Africans in South Africa and tests the strength of African unity.
Ghana had earlier written to the African Union Commission requesting that the issue – titled Xenophobic Attacks in the Republic of South Africa against African Nationals – be discussed at an upcoming AU meeting. In that letter, Ablakwa described the situation as a matter of urgent continental concern requiring collective African action.
This latest push comes amid repatriations of hundreds of Ghanaian and Nigerian nationals from South Africa due to the unrest.
Diplomatic ties have strained with Ghana shelving a scheduled state visit to Accra by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Civil society figures, including prominent human rights lawyers, have even urged Nigeria and Ghana to take South Africa to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights over the safety of their citizens
