Xenophobic Attacks: Nigeria Ends <a href="https://absafricatv.com/amazon-to-launch-its-satellite-internet-in-south-africa-seemingly-beating-out-musk/" title="Amazon to launch its satellite internet in South Africa, seemingly beating out Musk”>South Africa Evacuation as Ghana Begins Fresh Airlift Of 900 Citizens
Ghana announces fresh evacuation of about 900 citizens from South Africa
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Federal Government concludes emergency evacuation from South Africa as final Air Peace flight brings home 308 Nigerians, pushing total repatriated under the humanitarian programme to over 1,500.
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Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu says President Bola Tinubu extended the evacuation beyond the anti-migrant groups’ June 30 deadline, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to protecting citizens abroad.
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Ghana announces fresh evacuation of about 900 citizens from South Africa beginning July 25, following the successful repatriation of 926 Ghanaians displaced by renewed xenophobic attacks.
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Nigeria and Ghana intensify diplomatic and humanitarian interventions as renewed xenophobic violence in South Africa triggers one of the region’s largest coordinated evacuation efforts in recent years.
July 15, (THEWILL) — The Federal Government has concluded the emergency evacuation of Nigerians affected by renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa, with the arrival of the final Air Peace flight carrying 308 returnees, even as Ghana announced plans to begin another mass evacuation of about 900 of its citizens from the country later this month.
THEWILL reports that the final Nigerian evacuation flight landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, at about 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, bringing to a close weeks of coordinated humanitarian operations undertaken by the Federal Government in partnership with Air Peace and several ministries, departments, and agencies.
The aircraft also conveyed three government officials who participated in coordinating the evacuation exercise in South Africa.
With the arrival of the final batch, more than 1,500 Nigerians have now been successfully repatriated under the Federal Government’s emergency evacuation programme initiated following renewed xenophobic violence and security concerns in parts of South Africa.
Welcoming the returnees, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said the successful completion of the evacuation reflected President Bola Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to the safety and welfare of Nigerians living outside the country.
She said the President’s intervention ensured the safe return of hundreds of Nigerians who voluntarily opted to return home after the renewed attacks on foreign nationals.
According to the minister, Tinubu’s decision to extend the evacuation exercise beyond the June 30 deadline earlier issued by anti-migrant groups in South Africa underscored his determination to protect Nigerians facing crises abroad.
THEWILL reports that the Federal Government had earlier coordinated several evacuation flights through Air Peace, with hundreds of Nigerians returning home in phases before Wednesday’s final operation.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended officials of the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, Air Peace, and other government agencies whose collaboration ensured the successful execution of the humanitarian mission.
She also urged the returnees to take advantage of available government support programmes to facilitate their reintegration into society and rebuild their lives after returning home.
Regional Concern Deepens as Ghana Announces Fresh Evacuation
Even as Nigeria concluded its emergency repatriation exercise, the Government of Ghana announced plans to commence another mass evacuation of its citizens from South Africa on July 25, following the registration of nearly 900 Ghanaians seeking voluntary repatriation.
THEWILL reports that Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, disclosed the development in a video broadcast from Pretoria, saying the latest exercise follows the successful repatriation of 926 Ghanaians affected by the xenophobic attacks.
According to him, Ghana’s President, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the President, has approved funding for the fresh evacuation exercise.
“As a government that cares, the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instituted us into having an evacuation for Ghanaians who voluntarily want to go home. We have almost 926 who have gone home.
“I’m here to announce that the Ministry has provided, through the Office of the President, support for us to be able to also do another repatriation of close to 900 Ghanaians who are voluntarily giving their names here in South Africa that they want to go,” Quashie said.
Quashie disclosed that South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs and Border Management Authorities had approved July 25 for the commencement of the latest evacuation.
He explained that officials would visit churches, hotels, and other temporary shelters where stranded Ghanaians are staying before transporting them from various provinces to designated departure points.
He added that flights would depart daily until all registered persons had been successfully evacuated.
The High Commissioner stressed that only citizens who had completed the registration and screening process would be eligible for evacuation, warning against fresh registrations or uncoordinated movement to the High Commission.
“We are not doing new registrations yet. We are going according to those who have been registered and screened,” he said.
Quashie further cautioned Ghanaians not to arrive at the High Commission with luggage expecting accommodation, urging all registered persons to adhere strictly to official procedures to ensure a smooth operation.
The envoy also announced that the July evacuation would mark the end of Ghana’s government-sponsored mass repatriation programme.
He explained that after the final batch of nearly 900 citizens is evacuated, subsequent requests for assistance would be handled individually through normal consular channels.
According to Quashie, those scheduled for evacuation are people whose circumstances have been carefully verified and who genuinely require government intervention to return home.
- Tags
- Ghana
- South Africa
- Xenophobic Attacks
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