Nigeria condemns xenophobic attacks in South Africa, urges AU action
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Tinubu at the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Sierra Leone, condemned recent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa. Shettima called these incidents "Afrophobic" and urged ECOWAS to push for the matter to be addressed by the African Union, emphasizing that such behavior is unacceptable. He reminded South Africa of the role African countries, particularly Nigeria, played in its liberation. The Vice President stated that the Nigerian government has already evacuated 1,490 citizens from South Africa in seven batches and remains committed to diplomatic engagement. Beyond this issue, Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria's commitment to the ECOWAS Compact for the Future of Regional Integration, advocating for constitutional governance, the rule of law, human rights, and zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government. He encouraged member states and partners to support the Compact's implementation to build a resilient and people-centered West Africa. In other developments at the summit, Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was elected Chairman of ECOWAS, succeeding Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio, and Biram Diop was appointed President of the ECOWAS Commission.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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