President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reported the recent xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Black Africans in South Africa to the African Union (AU), calling for urgent continental action.
Tinubu warned that the recurring incidents threaten African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence, urging African leaders to address the situation.
The President made Nigeria’s position known through Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented him at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Luanda, Angola.
Tinubu called on the AU to place the issue on the agenda of its 40th Ordinary Session, scheduled for January 2027, for consideration and appropriate action.
“While recognising South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws and acknowledging its contributions to the continent, Nigeria stresses that such attacks undermine African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence, and require urgent collective attention,” Tinubu said.
He also urged the AU and other African leaders to strengthen efforts to combat xenophobia and Afrophobia, stressing that dialogue, diplomacy and collective action were essential to preserving African unity.
On the continent’s security challenges, Nigeria supported the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan as a practical framework for strengthening conflict prevention.
Tinubu argued that preventing conflicts was more cost-effective and sustainable than managing them after they had escalated.
He further warned that fragmented peace initiatives and growing external interference through foreign military forces, mercenaries and private defence contractors could undermine the AU’s conflict prevention mechanisms and the principle of African ownership.
