Ghana has formally petitioned the African Union to place recurring xenophobic attacks in South Africa on the agenda of its upcoming mid year meeting, warning that the violence threatens African unity and the safety of foreign nationals living in the country.
In a letter addressed to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, described the attacks as a matter of “urgent continental interest” and called for coordinated action by African leaders.
The issue is expected to be raised at the Eighth Mid Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union, scheduled to take place in El Alamein from 24 to 27 June.
Ghana said it remained deeply concerned about repeated incidents of xenophobic violence in South Africa, which it said had led to deaths, destruction of property and growing insecurity for African nationals living there.
The government said the continued attacks were particularly troubling given the support many African countries gave to South Africa during the struggle against apartheid.
“Manifestations of xenophobia, including violent attacks against fellow Africans, have persisted in recent years,” the letter said.
While acknowledging South Africa’s sovereignty and its responsibility to maintain law and order, Ghana argued that attacks targeting African migrants undermined the principles of African solidarity, continental unity and Pan Africanism.
According to the letter, the violence violates the African Union Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and threatens the broader goals of African integration, including the ambitions of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Ghana also warned that the attacks run contrary to efforts aimed at promoting free movement, reducing trade barriers and building a common African market.
The government is requesting several measures from the African Union, including the formal inclusion of the matter on the summit agenda, stronger monitoring mechanisms to ensure member states uphold human rights obligations, and the establishment of a fact finding mission to investigate the root causes of xenophobic violence in South Africa.
It also called for dialogue and reconciliation initiatives to promote tolerance, inclusion and renewed commitment to continental unity.
In the letter, Ghana said Africa’s future should be built on “shared dignity, prosperity and mutual respect” despite the continent’s history of slavery, colonialism and apartheid.
The government also invoked the words of Ghana’s founding president, Kwame Nkrumah, saying Africa’s full emancipation could only be achieved through unity.
“That aspiration begins with a collective resolve to ensure that no African is dehumanised on African soil,” the letter added.
