Why are Nigeria-South Africa tensions rising amid xenophobic attacks?
- Shola Lawal | Al Jazeera
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
It’s not the first time the two African giants have gone head-to-head over attacks on their nationals.
Nigeria has threatened retaliatory measures against South Africa after Abuja began repatriating hundreds of Nigerians from South Africa this week amid alleged xenophobic attacks by South African protesters.
Diplomatic tensions between the two countries have spiked since the latest wave of violent anti-immigration protests by thousands of South Africans calling for strict, mass deportation measures.
South Africa has long attracted migrants from across the continent, entering the country both legally and illegally. Statistics South Africa put the number of foreign nationals at 2.4 million in 2022, about 3.7 percent of the total population of 65 million.
However, many South Africans claim that high numbers of undocumented migrants contribute to unemployment and place pressure on public services.
There have been three waves of anti-immigration protests since 2008, all turning violent and resulting in casualties and the looting of shops and other property.
Much of the anger has targeted, in particular, nationals from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, as well as Nigeria and Ghana.
Why is Nigeria’s government angry?
On Monday, Nigerian Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu accused South Africa’s government of failing to forcefully denounce violence against Nigerian nationals in South Africa. She said this had damaged the bond the two countries have enjoyed since the solidarity Nigeria showed during South Africa’s fight against apartheid.
At least two Nigerian men died in April during the latest wave of violence.
One of the men, Amaramiro Emmanuel, was killed after being beaten by officers from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on April 20, according to a statement by the Nigerian consul-general, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche. The other, Ekpenyong Andrew, was arrested in Pretoria before being found dead at a mortuary.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Nigerians are being “harassed” in South Africa despite having legal status, countering claims by South African citizen groups that attacks have targeted only undocumented residents.
Legitimate businesses are being “looted” while children are forced to stay away from school, she said.
“The police refused to do anything,” the minister added.
“Nigeria is not happy because Nigeria has sacrificed much for the South African independence struggle,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu told journalists on Monday.
“My own generation, we carried placards, we demonstrated in front of South African assets, sometimes we even got arrested.”
At least 1,000 Nigerians were initially scheduled for repatriation this week, but Abuja says the number of people wishing to return home is rising.
