Nigeria flew 268 of its citizens back from Johannesburg to Lagos on Thursday morning amid rising anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa [1]. Around 1,000 Nigerians have registered to be repatriated after facing violence and threats related to xenophobic protests [1].
South Africa is grappling with an unemployment rate above 30%, fueling resentment against migrants who are blamed for increased pressure on public services such as hospitals and schools [1]. Campaign groups have set a deadline of June 30 for undocumented migrants to leave the country [1, 2]. This deadline has raised fears and triggered evacuations by Nigerian and other African governments.
Justin, a Nigerian migrant leaving South Africa, said the environment had become dangerous. "I'm leaving because of the conditions they've given us here. They say we must leave on or before 30th June. And because of the way they are killing people, killing our brothers, so I'm not safe," he said. He described being recently attacked by a mob while traveling in a taxi and forced to flee without his belongings [1].
Nigeria's Consul General in South Africa, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, said migrants made up less than 10% of the population but were being scapegoated for systemic problems. "They are not and cannot be the problem. So, migrants are basically being scapegoated," she said [1].
Violent attacks have targeted Nigerian migrants and others in South Africa. Mozambican authorities reported a higher death toll among their citizens than official South African police figures, which confirmed only two Mozambican deaths due to xenophobic violence [1].
Other countries including Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Malawi have also evacuated their citizens amid rising tensions [1]. The Nigerian government has prioritized flying home registered citizens before the June 30 deadline set by campaign groups to avoid further violence [1, 2].
