Nigeria has completed the evacuation of its citizens from South Africa, with nearly 1,500 people airlifted out of the country as anti-immigrant groups increased pressure on undocumented foreigners to leave.
Foreign nationals from several African countries, including Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, have been departing South Africa for weeks under government-assisted repatriation programs.
South Africa, a long-time destination for both documented and undocumented African workers, has been experiencing weeks of protests and unrest targeting immigrants, who are accused of taking jobs and re
“It has ended,” Nigeria’s foreign ministry spokesman Kimiebi Ebienfa said on Friday, after the airlifting of 1,490 Nigerians between June 10 and July 15.
The departures began after fringe South African groups intensified demands for undocumented migrants to leave by June 30, sparking violent protests and clashes that resulted in the deaths of at least four foreign nationals.
Malawi reported that it had brought back 38,000 nationals in just a month, while Zimbabwe said it had repatriated nearly 21,300 citizens. Uganda’s government stated that around 1,100 of its nationals had been repatriated, and hundreds of Ghanaians, Mozambicans, and Kenyans have also left the country.
Nigeria’s foreign minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said earlier this month that the situation for foreigners in South Africa was deteriorating, and urged authorities to investigate the June 28 killings of two Nigerians, Musa Yunana Joe and Charles Iroegbu, during “the ongoing xenophobic protests and attacks on migrants”.
But South African police claimed that the deaths were not connected to the protests. Still, South African authorities have been accused of not doing enough to stop the violence, which has seen shops owned by immigrants burned and looted.
“While appreciating the longstanding bilateral relations between Nigeria and the Republic of South Africa, the Federal Government reiterates its firm position that all forms of xenophobia, racial intolerance, and violence against foreign nationals are unacceptable,” Ebienfa said in a statement on Thursday.
Despite a handful of Nigerian lawmakers calling for a hardline response, Ebienfa said Abuja will continue to “engage constructively with the South African Government through diplomatic channels”.
