Tinubu urges AU action over xenophobic attacks in South Africa

President Bola Tinubu has called on the African Union (AU) to take urgent action against recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks targeting Africans and other nationals in South Africa.

Tinubu made the call in a message delivered by 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 AU’s 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, scheduled for January 2027, for consideration and appropriate action.

He said the attacks undermined African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence, while calling for renewed commitment to protecting the safety, dignity and rights of African nationals across the continent.

“Nigeria wishes to express its concern over the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa,” Tinubu said.

“While recognising South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws and acknowledging its contributions to the continent, Nigeria stresses that such attacks undermine African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence, and require urgent collective attention.”

The President called for stronger continental efforts to combat xenophobia and Afrophobia, saying dialogue, preventive diplomacy and collective action were necessary to preserve African unity.

On the continent’s broader security challenges, Tinubu backed the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan as a framework for strengthening conflict prevention.