Nigeria calls on African Union to step up fight against xenophobia in South Africa
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu called on the African Union to take collective action over what he described as recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks on Africans and citizens of other countries in South Africa. His position at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in Luanda was presented by Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Proposal for the agenda
Nigeria called for the issue to be placed on the agenda of the 40th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly, scheduled for January 2027. As Premium Times Nigeria reports, Tinubu also urged African leaders to reaffirm their commitment to the safety, protection and dignity of all citizens of African countries.
In its address, Nigeria said it recognizes South Africa's sovereign right to enforce immigration laws and its contribution to the development of the continent. At the same time, Tinubu stressed that the attacks cited by Nigeria undermine African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence and require urgent collective attention.
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Security and conflict prevention
At the session, Nigeria also supported the adoption of the Luanda Plan of Action as a practical roadmap for strengthening conflict prevention. Tinubu said that conflict prevention is a less costly and more sustainable approach than managing conflicts after they begin.
The Nigerian president warned that fragmented peace initiatives, external intervention involving foreign military forces, mercenaries and private defense contractors, as well as reliance on external actors, could weaken the African Union's conflict prevention mechanisms and the principle of African leadership. He also called on arms-producing and exporting states to strengthen cooperation with African countries to prevent weapons and ammunition from reaching terrorists and other non-state armed groups.
Tinubu added that the African Union's mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution are weakened by limited trust and inconsistent implementation of decisions. Nigeria also supported stable and predictable funding for African Union peacekeeping operations and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719.
