Ghana: Ghanaians Ask ICC to Investigate Xenophobic Violence in South Africa

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a Radio France Internationale report dated 24 July 2026, reported that two Ghanaian nationals have asked the International Criminal Court to begin a preliminary examination into violence targeting foreign nationals in South Africa. The petition, submitted on 15 July, argues that repeated attacks on migrants could qualify as crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute.

The filing was made by Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a former Ghanaian government spokesperson on governance and security, and Emmanuel Kotin, a counter-terrorism and security analyst. According to the report, their petition alleges widespread and systematic attacks on migrants and accuses President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government of failing to prevent, investigate or punish the violence. The ICC confirmed receipt of the request but has not publicly said whether it will act on it.

RFI reported that Ghanaian President John Mahama again urged the African Union to take up the unrest, saying the issue was escalating and should not be ignored. South Africa’s foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri rejected the petition as opportunistic, pointing to the country’s legal protections against discrimination. Ramaphosa has previously condemned attacks on foreigners and warned against blaming immigrants for broader social and economic problems.

The report places the petition amid a recent surge in anti-immigrant protests in South Africa, where migrants have been accused by protesters of contributing to crime and unemployment. RFI, citing government and news agency figures, said more than 160,000 foreign nationals have left South Africa in the past two months, including large numbers of Zimbabweans and Malawians, while deaths of migrants from several countries have been reported during the unrest.