Ghanaians' ICC petition over migrant attacks 'opportunistic', says South Africa

What the report says

BBC Africa reports that South Africa has rejected as “opportunistic” an International Criminal Court petition filed by two Ghanaians over violence and intimidation targeting foreign nationals. The petition, lodged at the Hague-based court last week by Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a former Ghanaian government spokesperson on governance and security, and Emmanuel Kotin, a security analyst, asks for scrutiny of attacks they say may constitute crimes against humanity.

According to the BBC, South Africa’s foreign ministry argues the filing does not meet the ICC’s legal threshold and says domestic courts are capable of dealing with violence or unlawful acts. The ministry said South Africa rejects xenophobia and discrimination, while President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned attacks on migrants and warned citizens not to take the law into their own hands.

The dispute comes amid heightened anti-migrant protests in South Africa, where some groups set a 30 June deadline for undocumented migrants to leave. Ghana has repatriated citizens and has said one Ghanaian was killed in related violence, a claim South African authorities deny. Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda have also arranged transport for nationals leaving South Africa, the BBC reported.

South Africa says more than 53,000 foreign nationals have recently been deported or have returned voluntarily, while an AFP tally based on migrants’ home governments suggests more than 160,000 people have left in two months. Ecowas leaders have condemned reported attacks on African migrants, and the UN has cautioned against blaming migrants for South Africa’s economic and social problems.