President Bola Tinubu has formally reported the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic att@cks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa to the African Union (AU), calling for urgent collective action.
Tinubu made Nigeria’s position known through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Luanda, Angola.
The President urged African leaders to place the issue on the agenda of the 40th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly scheduled for January 2027, while reaffirming the need to protect the safety, dignity and rights of all African nationals.
“Nigeria wishes to express its concern over the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic att@cks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa,” Tinubu said.
While acknowledging South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws, he stressed that such att@cks “undermine African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence” and require urgent continental attention.
Tinubu also called for stronger efforts to tackle xenophobia and Afrophobia through dialogue, preventive diplomacy and collective action.
On Africa’s security challenges, the President backed the Luanda Action Plan, describing conflict prevention as more cost-effective and sustainable than managing conflicts after they erupt.
He further warned that foreign military forces, mercenaries and private defence contractors could weaken African ownership of peace and security initiatives.
Meanwhile, the Presidency has explained why Tinubu is currently on a three-week vacation, saying the break is meant to allow him to rest and “refuel” ahead of months of intense political activities.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said Tinubu had been heavily engaged with governance over the past six to seven months and needed to recharge ahead of the 2027 campaign season.
Dare added that governance would continue while the President monitors affairs from his vacation.
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