By Augustine Ehikioya
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally reported recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa to the African Union, AU, warning that the incidents undermine continental solidarity and peaceful coexistence.
The President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made Nigeria’s position known at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Luanda, Angola.
President Tinubu called on the AU to place the matter on the agenda of the 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly scheduled for January 2027 for consideration and appropriate action.
In a statement on Sunday by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications
(Office of The Vice President), Tinubu said “Nigeria wishes to express its concern over the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa,”
“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.
“It is on this note that Nigeria calls on this august Assembly to place the matter on the agenda of the upcoming 40th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, scheduled for January 2027, for consideration and appropriate action.”
The President urged stronger continental efforts to combat xenophobia and Afrophobia, stressing that “dialogue, preventive diplomacy, and collective action” remained essential to preserving African unity.
On wider security, Nigeria backed the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan as a practical roadmap for strengthening conflict prevention.
“For Nigeria, conflict prevention remains more cost-effective and sustainable than conflict management,” Tinubu said.
He warned that fragmented peace initiatives and increasing external interference through foreign military forces, mercenaries, and private defence contractors risk weakening the AU’s conflict prevention mechanisms and the principle of “African ownership.”
The President also called on arms-producing and exporting countries to strengthen cooperation with African states and prevent weapons from being diverted to terrorists and other non-state actors.
“The growing reliance on external actors risks weakening African institutions and the principle of African ownership,” he said, urging member states to renew their commitment to “collective responsibility for Africa’s peace and security.”
Nigeria also backed “sustainable and predictable financing” for AU peace operations and the full operationalisation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719 to strengthen the continental body’s capacity to respond to crises.
“Let us therefore renew our collective commitment to solidarity, cooperation, and shared responsibility as we build the Africa we want,” the President said.
