Nigeria, South Africa Hold Talks Over Xenophobic Attacks

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, is meeting with South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr. Ronald Lamola, following growing concerns over recurring xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in the Southern African country.

Lamola is a special envoy of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Enikanolaiye said President Bola Tinubu directed the meeting to address the persistent attacks against Nigerians in South Africa openly.

The minister urged the South African government to take urgent and concrete steps to end what Nigeria described as recurring Afrophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals.

He warned that the violence threatens decades of strategic partnership between Africa’s two largest economies.

He recalled Nigeria’s support for South Africa’s liberation from apartheid and the close collaboration between both countries in transforming the Organisation of African Unity into the African Union, as well as advancing the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

He expressed concern over what he described as a recurring pattern of xenophobic violence dating back to 1995, with subsequent outbreaks recorded in 1998, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2026.