President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the African Union to address a fresh wave of anti-immigrant violence in South Africa, where foreign owned shops have been looted, migrants attacked and at least four people reported killed during protests and vigilante actions.
Tinubu’s position was delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the AU’s 21st Extraordinary Session in Luanda, according to a Nigerian State House press release.
The president called for the issue to be placed on the agenda of the AU’s 40th Ordinary Session, scheduled for January 2027, so that member states can consider an appropriate collective response.
Nigeria has described the violence as a pattern of “xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks” against Nigerians and other African nationals.
Nigerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sola Enikanolaiye told Reuters in July that at least 98 Nigerians had been killed in xenophobic attacks since 2022.
He said both suspected criminals and Nigerians who were legally resident in South Africa had been attacked, and alleged that police in some cases
appeared unwilling to intervene.
What happened
The latest tensions intensified in April and May, when the citizen-led March and March movement organised demonstrations in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban calling for
stricter enforcement against undocumented migrants.
Human Rights Watch said the protests had violent and, in some cases, fatal consequences.
In one account cited by rights group, a 43-year-old Cameroonian shop owner in Durban said people he believed were affiliated with the movement attacked him on 17 April while targeting foreign-owned shops.
He said he was whipped and beaten with golf sticks and sjamboks, sprayed with pepper spray and subjected to stun-gun attacks. The man, who had lived in South Africa for nearly two decades and was lawfully resident, said police did not come to his aid.
Reuters separately reported that vigilantes had attacked foreign nationals and looted foreign-owned businesses in several South African cities.
Anti-immigrant groups also called for undocumented migrants to leave the country and staged marches after issuing an unofficial deadline for their departure.
Human Rights Watch said it had not independently verified reports that foreign nationals were killed by vigilantes during the demonstrations.
It did, however, cite a credible account
of a Malawian national who allegedly died after police beat and tortured him over documentation concerns.
The group said the allegations underscored longstanding concerns about the protection of migrants and accountability for abuses.
Nigeria’s foreign-affairs minister said the government did not condone criminal activity by its citizens, but insisted that suspects should be arrested, prosecuted rather than subjected to mob violence.
“If there are criminals, the solution is not to kill them. Get them arrested, prosecuted,” he said, according to Reuters.
South Africa’s position
South African authorities have condemned attacks on foreign nationals while maintaining that immigration and criminal-law enforcement must remain the responsibility of the state.
In an official statement in May, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said there had been “sporadic incidents of confrontation” involving immigrants, including citizens of other African countries.
It said the government had directed law enforcement agencies to protect citizens, residents and visitors and bring perpetrators to justice.
South Africa also rejected claims circulating during the protests that Ghanaian and Nigerian nationals had been killed by law-enforcement, saying at the time that there was no credible evidence to support those allegations and warning against manipulated footage and fake videos.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said concerns about illegal migration should not become prejudice against fellow Africans or lead to xenophobia.
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola later told Nigerian officials that South Africa “unequivocally condemns” xenophobia,
racism, discrimination and intolerance.
He said crime could not justify vigilante violence, intimidation or attacks against foreign nationals, and that arrests had been made while investigations continued.
At the same time, Lamola raised South Africa’s concerns about organised crime, illicit drug trafficking, financial fraud and alleged unlawful occupation of residential and commercial properties.
South Africa said more than 500 Nigerian nationals had been processed through its criminal-justice system for various offences as of 7 July. Adding that the measures targeted individual criminal conduct, not the wider law-abiding Nigerian community.
South Africa’s government has also warned community groups that house- to-house searches and identity checks aimed at finding undocumented migrants are illegal.
It said 205 cases had been registered, 350 people arrested, 69 cases remained under investigation and 112 cases were on the court roll as of 8 July in relation to unlawful conduct, intimidation, incitement and related offences.
The South African government has linked public tension to unemployment, pressure on public services and irregular migration, but says those concerns must be handled through lawful immigration procedures and bilateral cooperation rather than vigilantism.
Nigeria, for its part, has acknowledged the need to prosecute offenders while calling for constitutional due process and humane treatment.
1,490 Nigerians evacuated
Nigeria said it completed a voluntary evacuation programme on 15 July, bringing home 1,490 Nigerians affected by security concerns linked to the attacks.
The fifth and final flight carried 305 returnees and three Nigerian officials, according to the Federal Ministry of
Information and National Orientation.
The ministry said the total was assembled through seven flights between 10 June and 15 July. The flights carried 258, 66, 272, 268, 282, 39 and 305 returnees respectively, using Air Peace and South African Airways.
The Nigerian evacuation figure is separate from a South African government figure released in July.
South Africa said 1,159 Nigerians were among foreign nationals repatriated to
countries outside the Southern African Development Community.
That figure refers to people processed for repatriation by South African authorities, while Nigeria’s 1,490 figure refers to citizens voluntarily evacuated to Nigeria under its own programme; the two totals should therefore not be treated as directly equivalent.
The evacuation followed diplomatic exchanges between Abuja and Pretoria. Nigeria has now taken its concerns to the AU, asking leaders to reaffirm the safety, protection and dignity of all African nationals and to consider collective measures against xenophobia and Afrophobia at the January 2027 Assembly session.
The dispute presents the AU with a delicate balance: protecting migrants from violence and discrimination while recognising the right of South Africa and other states to enforce immigration and criminal laws.
Both governments have said that dialogue, cooperation and due process—not mob action or collective blame—should guide the response.
This report distinguishes between official claims, independently reported incidents and allegations that authorities said were unsubstantiated. The attack accounts and casualty figures are attributed to Reuters, Human Rights Watch or government statements.
