Africa: Xenophobic Attacks - Enough Is Enough, Tinubu Tells AU

What the report says

President Bola Tinubu has taken Nigeria’s concern over recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in South Africa to the African Union, according to a report by Leadership distributed by AllAfrica. The message was delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the AU’s 21st Extraordinary Session in Luanda, Angola, where Nigeria urged African leaders to treat the violence as a matter requiring coordinated continental action.

The report says Tinubu asked that the issue be placed on the agenda of the AU Assembly’s 40th ordinary session, scheduled for January 2027. Nigeria’s position, as presented in the article, is that attacks on Africans and other nationals in South Africa threaten solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence on the continent. The president also called for stronger efforts to protect the safety, dignity and rights of African nationals.

Beyond the South Africa issue, the speech addressed wider peace and security concerns in Africa. Nigeria backed the Luanda Action Plan as a practical conflict-prevention framework and argued that preventing violence is more sustainable than managing crises afterward. The report also highlighted warnings about external interference in African security efforts, including the use of mercenaries and private military contractors, and called for greater African ownership of peace initiatives.

In the broader context, xenophobic attacks have long been a sensitive issue in relations between South Africa and other African states. This report places Nigeria’s intervention within the AU’s continuing debate over how to respond collectively to migration-related violence and broader security challenges on the continent.