Nigeria evacuates citizens from South Africa as anti-migrant attacks rise
Nigeria has become the latest African state to repatriate citizens from South Africa following reports of xenophobic attacks. Pretoria condemned the violence as regional economic spillovers grow.
The BBC reported that the Nigerian Foreign Ministry organised the first evacuation flight following anti-migrant attacks in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said in a statement that 2,300 Nigerians had registered and that flights are targeted for completion within 72 hours. Lagos Murtala Muhammed Airport received the first arrival.
The report noted that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the violence and that the Operation Vala Umgodi security operation has been extended to anti-migrant attacks. Malawi began a similar evacuation last week; the interior ministries of Zimbabwe and Mozambique announced they are weighing comparable plans. The South African Human Rights Commission has recorded at least 18 dead and 240 injured over the past three weeks.
According to Reuters, in response to Pretoria's statement, African Union Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the implementation of the continental migration and free movement protocol would be revisited. The retail index on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange fell 0.7 percent after the news. This is not investment advice.
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