Ghana's president calls on the African Union to take a stand against attacks on foreigners in South Africa.

Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah:

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama called on the African Union to take a more effective stance towards Frequent attacks He warned that the escalating anti-immigrant violence targeting foreigners in South Africa poses a direct threat to the project of integration and solidarity among African countries.

Mahama's remarks came during his meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, at the Presidential Palace in Accra, where he called for the issue to be included on the agenda of the next African Union meeting, stressing that the continuation of these attacks could no longer be ignored.

Ghana is bearing a heavy burden

The Ghanaian president said his country had incurred significant financial burdens to evacuate its citizens from South Africa, explaining that the government had chartered three planes to bring Ghanaians home, and was prepared to operate three additional flights after nearly 900 people registered their desire to return.

He added that the government did not limit itself to evacuation operations, but also provided support and reintegration programs for returnees, stressing that what is happening threatens the efforts made by African countries to promote freedom of movement and integration among the peoples of the continent.

Weak response from South African authorities

Mahama noted that the attacks claimed the lives of Ghanaian citizens, expressing his regret over what he described as the weak response of the authorities in South Africa, and demanding that those responsible for inciting violence be held accountable and prevented from escaping punishment.

The Ghanaian president revealed that his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, had sent an official delegation to Accra to discuss the crisis, stressing that raising this issue was not intended to harm relations between the two countries, but rather aimed at addressing the root causes of the problem and enhancing transparency in dealing with it.

No hostile attitudes

Mahama said that Ghana does not hold any hostile views towards South Africa, but believes it is necessary to discuss the issue publicly in order to allow the South African authorities to clarify the measures they are taking to stop the violence and protect foreign residents.

In a related context, the Ghanaian government announced the postponement of the meetings of the bilateral cooperation committee with South Africa, which were scheduled to be held next August under the chairmanship of the two countries’ presidents, attributing the decision to the escalation of attacks against migrants and the negative atmosphere that this might impose on the talks.

Ghanaian government spokesman Felix Kwaki-Ofoso confirmed that his country is keen to maintain its relations with South Africa, but preferred to postpone the meetings until the situation calms down, allowing them to be held in a more positive atmosphere.

For his part, South African presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said that Pretoria learned of the postponement decision during communications to confirm the meeting dates, stressing that the two sides will continue to coordinate through diplomatic channels to determine a new date.

This development reflects the growing pressures facing South Africa due to repeated acts of violence against migrants, at a time when calls are increasing within the continent for more decisive action to protect African communities and prevent the rise of xenophobic rhetoric, in order to maintain the course of African integration and relations between its countries.