Anxiety As ECOWAS Parliamentarians Grieve Over Xenophobic Attacks

The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Parliament) has raised the bar in the efforts to tackle the disturbing scourge of xenophobic attacks in South Africa against mostly West Africans, many of whom have been killed and their property looted by mobs in the former Apartheid enclave.

Across KwaZulu-Natal, Guatemala, Cape Town and Pretoria, Ghanaians, Nigerians, Zimbabweans, Ethiopians and other African nationals have been attacked, looted, displaced and killed.

At the ongoing First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja, which started on May 4, the West African Assembly, led by Speaker Memounatou Ibrahima, among other pressing issues, condemned in the strongest terms the persistent attacks against West African citizens in South Africa.

During his personal presentation, the Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo – Markin, from Ghana, expressed outrage at this carnage perpetrated against fellow African citizens by mobs in South Africa.

He said, “An Ethiopian national was shot dead at a busy intersection, and the killing was captured on CCTV. Ghanaian shops have been shattered under threat.

“Vigilante groups have stopped people outside hospitals and schools. Footage of foreign nationals being beaten and subjected to verbal assault has circulated on every street across this continent.”

The Ghanaian Member of Parliament on Thursday said the African Union has failed to show leadership, accusing the body of feeble efforts in the face of mounting danger facing African citizens in an African country, even as he called for concerted efforts against the perpetrator of this heinous crime.

Fante Conte, a lawmaker from the Republic of Guinea, in her submission on Friday during plenary, expressed angst over the attacks, stressing that it has become incumbent on the regional institutions to take drastic actions against the perpetrators of violence against citizens of West Africa.

Saar Emerson Lamina, Member of Parliament from the Republic of Sierra Leone, lamented the increasing level of violence against fellow Africans by South African gangs. He said it was “shameful” that South Africa, to whom much was given during their dark moment of Apartheid, would turn around to hurt fellow Africans with such a despicable attitude.

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Toure, during the presentation of the Status of Implementation of the Community Work Programme in Abuja on Friday, described the situation as very unfortunate. He called on leaders in Africa to teach the South Africans history so that they can appreciate the commitments and sacrifices other African countries made to liberate South Africa from the shackles of Apartheid.

Some West African countries have taken steps to address this crisis through government-to-government bilateral relations. Ghana’s foreign minister, the Honourable Samuel Kutetra-Blackburn, summoned the South African acting High Commissioner to explain a documented incident in which a Ghanaian legal resident was confronted and told, “Leave and fix this country.”

Nigeria similarly summoned South African Acting High Commissioner, Lesoli Machele, in Abuja over the attacks, where two Nigerians, Nnaemeka Matthew Andrew Ekpeyong and Kelvin Chidiebere Amaramiro, were reported dead in the custody of South African security operatives.  Although the two Nigerians were not killed by the violent protests, and no Nigerian property was destroyed in the latest bout of attacks, the Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tasked South African authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Acting High Commissioner to Nigeria, in her response, said that the Nigerian Government’s position will be conveyed to Pretoria. She also stated that the protests are not supported by the South African Government, adding that the issues raised will be addressed to ensure continued peaceful relations between the two countries.

But beyond promises, it is hard to imagine why the South African authorities have allegedly looked the other way when these outlaws unleash mayhem on innocent people without much arrest, not to mention punishment.