Nigeria will repatriate 130 of its citizens from South Africa after a new wave of anti-immigrant protests, Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Monday. The repatriation is voluntary and more Nigerians are expected to register, she said, as she summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner to convey the Nigerian government’s “deep concern.”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu met with the South African envoy in Abuja and told reporters that no Nigerian died during the protests that erupted last week across parts of South Africa. She described the repatriation as a voluntary effort and said she expected the number of returnees to grow.
The diplomatic exchange follows the deaths of two Nigerians in separate encounters with South African security forces last month. Nigeria’s foreign ministry spokesman said the government has requested an investigation and the autopsy reports be provided to the families.
South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola later confirmed that he held a phone call with Odumegwu-Ojukwu, during which they discussed “the challenges posed by irregular migration” and agreed to work on “addressing the causes and finding solutions.” South African authorities separately condemned the violence and promised to crack down on what they called “xenophobic acts.”
Migrants in South Africa have long been blamed for taking jobs in a country with one of the world’s highest unemployment rates. The Nigerian community, among the largest African diaspora groups there, has been targeted in previous waves of anti-foreigner violence, drawing past diplomatic protests from Abuja.