Xenophobic: Tinubu drags South Africa to AU

—Says enough is enough, demands urgent action to sustain Africa’s solidarity, unity at 21st Extraordinary AU Summit By Johnbosco Agbakwuru in Luanda PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Sunday, formally reported the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa to the African Union, warning that the incidents undermine the continent’s solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence. Specifically, he requested prompt collective action from the continent’s leaders, including the placement of this matter on the agenda for the 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly. The Nigerian leader made the nation’s position known in a message delivered by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) in Luanda, Angola.

Represented at the annual continental event by Vice President Shettima, the President called on the AU to place the matter on the agenda of the 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly scheduled for January 2027, while urging African leaders to reaffirm their commitment to the safety, protection and dignity of all African nationals. “Nigeria wishes to express its concern over the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa. “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.

“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,” he declared. President Tinubu called for stronger continental efforts to combat xenophobia and Afrophobia, stressing that dialogue, preventive diplomacy, and collective action remained essential to preserving African unity. On the wider security situation across the continent, Nigeria backed the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan as a practical roadmap for strengthening conflict prevention, arguing that preventing conflicts was cheaper and more sustainable than managing them after they erupt.

“For Nigeria, conflict prevention remains more cost-effective and sustainable than conflict management,…