President Bola Tinubu has taken Nigeria’s concerns over recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in South Africa to the African Union (AU), demanding urgent continental action to protect the safety, dignity and rights of Africans across the continent.
Tinubu, who spoke through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Luanda, Angola, said the attacks undermined the ideals of African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence.
While acknowledging South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws and its contributions to the continent, the President stressed that such attacks could not be divorced from Africa’s broader commitment to unity and solidarity.
The President called on the AU to place the issue on the agenda of its 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly scheduled for January 2027, for consideration and appropriate action by African leaders.
Tinubu urged the continental body and member states to intensify efforts to combat xenophobia and Afrophobia, stressing that dialogue, preventive diplomacy and collective action remained critical to preserving African unity.
The President’s intervention came against the backdrop of Nigeria’s longstanding concern over attacks and hostility directed at Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.
On the wider security challenges confronting the continent, Tinubu backed the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan as a practical framework for strengthening conflict prevention and addressing the root causes of instability.