South Africa Blocks Ghana's Bid to Address Xenophobia at AU

The Executive Council of the African Union rejected a request from Ghana to add violence against African migrants in South Africa to the agenda for the bloc's October mid-year coordination meeting in Egypt. Ronald Lamola, South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, opposed the move, arguing that the meeting was an inappropriate setting for the issue. Instead, Lamola proposed a broader continental conference on migration based on previous AU assembly decisions from 2015 and 2019.

Ghana, represented by Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, argued that xenophobic attacks violate the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. The request follows Ghana's repatriation of hundreds of its citizens from South Africa. Nigerian officials also raised concerns, providing Lamola with a list of 98 Nigerians killed in South Africa since 2022.

In response to these accusations, Lamola cited organized crime, drug trafficking involving foreign nationals, and the installation of an unrecognized 'Igbo King' in the Eastern Cape as contributors to regional tensions. To de-escalate the diplomatic rifts, Lamola served as a special envoy to Ghana and Nigeria, meeting with leaders in Accra and Abuja to discuss migration and human rights.