Nigeria suspends official visits to South Africa over anti-migrant violence

Months of anti-foreigner protests across South Africa have forced tens of thousands to leave the country.

A view of the Nigerian national assembly [File: Kola Sulaimon/AFP]

Nigeria’s parliament has banned official visits to South Africa in protest over continued violence against immigrants there, including attacks on Nigerian citizens.

“All official visits to the Republic of South Africa by the National Assembly, its Committees, lawmakers, officials and staff are hereby suspended,” Akin Rotimi, spokesman for the lower chamber, said in a statement on Friday.

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The ban extends even to virtual engagements, after months of anti-foreigner protests across South Africa that have driven tens of thousands of people to leave the country.

“The National Assembly cannot ignore persistent attacks on citizens abroad,” Rotimi said.

Kamoru Ogunlana, the clerk to Nigeria’s national assembly, said in a statement that parliament was “particularly concerned by reports of Nigerians being killed, injured, displaced and forced to abandon their businesses, investments, homes and other properties as a result of recurring violent attacks”.

South Africa, one of the continent’s most industrialised economies, has long been a magnet for both undocumented and documented immigrants.

However, the nation is also saddled with high unemployment, weak social services and high crime, which is increasingly blamed on migrants despite decades of government failures, analysts say.

Nigeria has become particularly outspoken on the issue, accusing South Africa of not doing enough to stop the violence.

In an attack last week in Durban, marchers descended on an encampment of Congolese nationals, causing violent clashes.

In some cases, protesters have gone door-to-door and dragged people out of their homes and delivered them to waiting police vans.

Even people with legal documents have been caught up in the violence.

Attacks on Nigerians

In June, two Nigerians were killed during anti-migrant violence in South Africa, just two days before an unofficial deadline set by protesters for foreigners to leave.

Nigeria’s foreign ministry said one was allegedly killed by police officers and the other by unidentified attackers.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, hosted South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola in Abuja in July to discuss the recurring attacks.

At that meeting, Enikanolaiye said at least 98 Nigerians had been killed since 2022 in mob attacks, hate-related violence and extrajudicial killings.

Tensions soared across South Africa after protesters set a June 30 deadline for undocumented immigrants to leave.

At least four migrants were killed in related violence, according to South African police, though some foreign governments say the toll is higher.

According to South Africa’s latest government figures, almost 90,000 people have either been voluntarily repatriated or have been deported since the migration tensions began. However, figures released by the governments of migrants’ home countries put the total at about 178,000.

南非各地持续数月的反外国人抗议活动已迫使数万人离开该国。

尼日利亚国民议会一景 [图片：Kola Sulaimon/AFP]

尼日利亚议会已禁止官方人员访问南非，以抗议南非持续发生的针对移民的暴力事件，包括袭击尼日利亚公民。

“国民议会、其各委员会、议员、官员和工作人员对南非共和国的所有正式访问即刻暂停，”下议院发言人阿金·罗蒂米周五在一份声明中表示。

（共4条，此为第1条）尼日利亚反腐机构因不当行为指控解雇40名员工

列表 2/4：优步裁员 3300 人，停止在尼日利亚和乌干达的运营

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在南非各地爆发数月反外国人抗议活动，导致数万人离开该国之后，这项禁令甚至延伸到了虚拟互动领域。

罗蒂米说：“国民议会不能对海外公民持续遭受的袭击视而不见。”

尼日利亚国民议会书记卡莫鲁·奥贡拉纳在一份声明中表示，议会“尤其关注有关尼日利亚人因反复发生的暴力袭击而丧生、受伤、流离失所，并被迫放弃其企业、投资、房屋和其他财产的报道”。

南非是非洲大陆工业化程度最高的经济体之一，长期以来一直是非法移民和合法移民的聚集地。

然而，分析人士指出，该国还面临着高失业率、薄弱的社会服务和高犯罪率等问题，尽管政府几十年来一直失职，但这些问题却越来越多地被归咎于移民。

尼日利亚对此事尤其直言不讳，指责南非在制止暴力方面做得不够。

上周在德班发生的一起袭击事件中，游行者袭击了刚果国民的营地，引发了暴力冲突。

在某些情况下，抗议者挨家挨户地将人们从家中拖出来，然后把他们送到等候的警车上。

即使是拥有合法证件的人也卷入了暴力事件。

对尼日利亚人的袭击

6 月，两名尼日利亚人在南非的反移民暴力事件中丧生，而就在两天后，抗议者设定了外国人离开的非正式最后期限。

尼日利亚外交部称，其中一人据称被警察杀害，另一人据称被身份不明的袭击者杀害。

尼日利亚外交国务部长索拉·埃尼卡诺莱耶大使于 7 月在阿布贾接待了南非外交部长罗纳德·拉莫拉，讨论了反复发生的袭击事件。

在那次会议上，埃尼卡诺莱耶表示，自 2022 年以来，至少有 98 名尼日利亚人在暴民袭击、仇恨暴力和法外处决中丧生。

抗议者设定6月30日为非法移民离开的最后期限，导致南非各地局势高度紧张。

据南非警方称，至少有四名移民在相关暴力事件中丧生，但一些外国政府表示死亡人数更高。

根据南非政府最新公布的数据，自移民冲突爆发以来，已有近9万人自愿返回家园或被驱逐出境。然而，移民原籍国政府公布的数据则显示，实际人数约为17.8万人。