The Nigerian government said it will repatriate 130 Nigerians living in South Africa after a new wave of anti-immigration protests, framing the effort as voluntary and tied to concerns it raised directly with South African officials. Foreign minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said she summoned South Africa’s top representative in Abuja on Monday to express “profound concern,” according to the foreign ministry.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the repatriation as voluntary and said that additional Nigerians were expected to join the process. She met with South Africa’s acting high commissioner to convey Nigeria’s position on the unrest, which has periodically targeted migrants in South Africa amid widespread unemployment and broader anti-immigration sentiment.
The foreign ministry said that, in contrast to earlier incidents, no Nigerians were killed during last week’s protests against migrants in South Africa. South Africa’s officials condemned violence and promised to crack down on xenophobic acts.
In a separate channel of concern, Nigeria’s foreign minister said South Africa’s foreign minister Ronald Lamola had spoken by phone with her counterpart to reflect on the “challenges posed by irregular migration” and how the two countries could address the causes and find solutions.
Nigeria also sought further action regarding deaths of Nigerians that occurred separately in encounters involving South African security operatives last month. After Monday’s meeting, a spokesperson for Nigeria’s foreign ministry said Nigeria requested an investigation and sought cooperation “in providing autopsy reports” for the families of the deceased.