Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has renewed his call for the African Union (AU) to urgently address the growing wave of xenophobic attacks against African migrants in South Africa, warning that the situation is escalating and could threaten efforts toward African solidarity and integration.
Mahama made the call on Thursday, insisting that the AU must take a more active interest in the violence and provide a formal platform for South Africa to present its position while African countries work collectively toward a lasting solution.
“Placing this on the AU agenda gives South Africa a formal, constructive platform to share its perspective, and together, as a continent, work toward a lasting solution,” Mahama said in a social media post.
The renewed appeal came a day after Mahama held discussions with AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on the sidelines of an AU meeting in Accra.
According to Mahama, he had earlier raised concerns about the violence and pushed for the issue to be tabled for discussion at the AU’s next summit, following an acknowledgment by the AU Commission chairperson of the urgent need to address the matter.
Speaking in remarks broadcast by Ghanaian media, Mahama expressed concern that the South African authorities were not responding to the situation with the level of urgency and seriousness that the scale of the crisis required.
“It doesn’t appear that the South African authorities are responding to the magnitude that one would expect them to,” he said.
The Ghanaian president further alleged that individuals financing the xenophobic attacks were known but had continued to operate without sufficient action being taken against them.
“The persons who are funding these xenophobic attacks are known and they have been left free to continue to do what they want to do,” Mahama said.
He warned that the continued violence could have serious consequences for relations among African nations and undermine decades of efforts toward unity and integration across the continent.
He, however, stressed that Ghana had “no ill will toward South Africa”, despite the growing concerns over the treatment of African migrants in the country.
South Africa has for years attracted both documented and undocumented workers from across Africa. However, the country has experienced repeated waves of anti-immigrant protests and violence, with some local groups accusing foreign nationals of taking jobs, competing for limited resources and contributing to social and economic challenges.
The recent unrest has reportedly led to the departure of more than 160,000 foreign nationals from South Africa over the past two months, while several people have also been killed amid increasing hostility toward undocumented migrants.
The development has placed additional strain on South Africa’s diplomatic relations with other African countries, particularly those whose citizens have been affected by the attacks.
Meanwhile, two Ghanaian nationals have petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC), seeking an investigation into what they described as repeated xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The South African government has dismissed the petition as “opportunistic”.
Earlier this month, Ghana postponed a planned visit by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to Accra following the death of a Ghanaian national. South African authorities, however, said the death was not connected to the ongoing anti-immigrant protests.
Mahama’s latest call for AU intervention underscores growing concerns among African leaders over the impact of xenophobic violence on continental relations, with the Ghanaian president urging the AU to help prevent the crisis from undermining the principles of African solidarity and integration.
