Afrophobia: Nigeria, Ghana To Drag South Africa To AU

Nigeria and Ghana will present the wave of attacks against fellow Africans (popularly called Afrophobia) in South Africa by misguided citizens of the former Apartheid enclave in the next session of the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

Nigerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, made this known during a virtual roundtable on “South Africa’s Xenophobia in Comparative Perspective,” convened by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, on Tuesday.

The minister expressed displeasure with the Nigerian government over the recurring situation and called on the South African government to take urgent and concrete measures to end xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against African nationals in the country.

The government also urged stronger migration governance, responsible political leadership and deeper people-to-people relations across the continent to prevent further violence against migrants.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser, Digital Media and Public Diplomacy, Raphael Oni, the minister stressed that Nigeria viewed the situation as a challenge that must be addressed without denial or exaggeration, arguing that the term Afrophobia more accurately captured the nature of the attacks.

The minister decried the situation where citizens from countries that supported South Africa during its anti-apartheid struggle are now being treated as “unwanted outsiders.”

He lamented that despite Nigeria’s financial commitment to the liberation struggle in South Africa, estimated at more than $60bn, in addition to the nationalisation of British Petroleum, the provision of scholarships, and hospitality extended to South African leaders in Nigeria, citizens of the country had the temerity to attack Nigerians and other Africans.

“The relationship between Nigeria and South Africa is not reducible to trade statistics or diplomatic communiqués. There is history in that relationship. There is blood, sacrifice and solidarity in that history,” the minister said.

Enikanolaiye said Nigeria was particularly concerned about the loss of lives resulting from Afrophobic violence, disclosing that about 90 Nigerians had been killed in such attacks since June 2022, adding that fresh attacks and displacement had been recorded in 2026.

According to him, the continued violence threatens South Africa’s international reputation, investor confidence and regional integration, while also diminishing the moral authority the country earned through its liberation struggle.

To address the problem, the minister called on South African authorities to strengthen transparent and humane migration systems and ensure that enforcement of immigration laws remained the sole responsibility of the state.

He warned against vigilantism and urged political leaders to exercise restraint in their rhetoric, noting that descriptions of migrants as “criminals” or “job thieves” could create an environment conducive to violence.