Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssou, has assured President John Dramani Mahama that the Commission will engage South African authorities over the recurring xenophobic attacks on African migrants.
His assurance came after President Mahama called on the African Union to take a more active role in addressing the attacks, describing them as a threat to African solidarity and continental integration during a meeting at the Jubilee House in Accra on Wednesday, July 22.
Responding to the President’s concerns, Mr. Youssou said xenophobic violence against Africans remains a major concern for the African Union Commission and reiterated the Commission’s opposition to such acts.
“The issue of xenophobic attacks on Africans is something that is a big source of concern for the Commission. I was in South Africa a month ago. I met President Ramaphosa. The official statement is that we condemn that; we do not support that,” he said.
The AUC Chairperson disclosed that South African authorities had publicly condemned the attacks and maintained that issues involving undocumented migrants should be addressed through the country’s legal processes.
“They made this statement with me in a press conference with the Foreign Minister. They said if there are illegal migrants in South Africa, they have to be handled through the proper channels of the law of the country,” he stated.
Despite those assurances, Mr. Youssou acknowledged concerns over the apparent failure to prevent attacks on African nationals, describing the situation as deeply troubling.
“But at the same time we see that these people who are harassing our fellow African citizens are free to do what they want.”
He also lamented what he described as the devastating human consequences of the violence and the apparent inaction of some security personnel during the attacks.
“Sometimes you see people in uniform just watching what’s happening just next to them. The human cost of this situation is terrible,” he said.
Mr. Youssou assured President Mahama that the African Union Commission would not remain silent on the matter and pledged to engage South Africa in pursuit of a lasting solution.
“We will take it up, Your Excellency. We will not keep silent. We will talk to our brothers in South Africa,” he added.
