President Bola Tinubu has formally placed recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in South Africa before the African Union and asked the continental body to consider the issue at its January 2027 summit and take collective action.
Tinubu made the intervention on Sunday at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Luanda, Angola, where he was represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima.
The President’s position places the treatment of Africans and other foreign nationals in South Africa directly before the AU at a time when Nigeria is seeking stronger continental mechanisms for addressing security and political challenges.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, disclosed the President’s position in a statement titled, “President Tinubu Takes Fight Against Xenophobic, Afrophobic Attacks in S’Africa To AU.”
Tinubu said Nigeria recognised South Africa’s right to enforce its immigration laws, but distinguished lawful immigration control from attacks directed at people because of their nationality or African identity.
“Nigeria wishes to express its concern over the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa,” he said.
The President added that such incidents “undermine African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence”, and called for the matter to receive formal consideration by the AU.
“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,” Tinubu said.
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His intervention goes beyond a bilateral complaint. By seeking consideration at the AU Assembly, Nigeria is asking the continental institution to treat xenophobia and Afrophobia as matters affecting relations among African states rather than isolated incidents involving individual countries.
Tinubu also backed the Luanda Action Plan as a framework for preventing conflicts across Africa. He maintained that stopping disputes before they escalate would cost less and produce more durable results than responding after violence has erupted.
“For Nigeria, conflict prevention remains more cost-effective and sustainable than conflict management,” he said.
The President also raised concerns about the increasing involvement of foreign military forces, mercenaries, and private defence contractors in African conflicts. He cautioned that dependence on such external actors could weaken African institutions and diminish the principle of African ownership of the continent’s security affairs.
“The growing reliance on external actors risks weakening African institutions and the principle of African ownership,” Tinubu said.
He further called for closer cooperation between African countries and states that manufacture or export arms. He said weapons produced outside the continent should not be diverted to terrorists and other armed groups operating in Africa.
Nigeria also supported predictable and sustainable financing for AU peace operations and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719, which provides a framework for strengthening the AU’s capacity to respond to conflicts and crises.
Tinubu acknowledged that the AU already possesses mechanisms for preventing and resolving conflicts but said limited trust among member states and uneven implementation have weakened their effectiveness.
He therefore called for greater reliance on African-led solutions to the continent’s security and social problems.
“Let us therefore renew our collective commitment to solidarity, cooperation, and shared responsibility as we build the Africa we want,” he said.
The President’s submission puts South Africa’s treatment of African migrants and other foreign nationals alongside wider questions of continental security, institutional cooperation, and African responsibility for resolving the continent’s crises.
