President Bola Tinubu has called for a stronger African Union response to recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other foreign nationals in South Africa, urging African leaders to treat the issue as a continental concern.
Tinubu made the call in a message delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Luanda, Angola, on Sunday.
Rather than framing the issue as a bilateral dispute between Nigeria and South Africa, the Nigerian President urged the AU to take collective responsibility for protecting African nationals and preserving the principle of continental solidarity.
Tinubu acknowledged South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws and its contributions to Africa’s development, but warned that attacks targeting Africans threaten peaceful coexistence and the unity of the continent.
He therefore requested that the issue be placed on the agenda of the 40th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly scheduled for January 2027 for consideration and appropriate action.
“Such attacks undermine African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence, and require urgent collective attention,” Tinubu said.
The President called for greater use of dialogue, preventive diplomacy and collective action to tackle xenophobia and Afrophobia across the continent.
Tinubu also used the AU gathering to push for a broader shift in Africa’s approach to security, arguing that greater emphasis should be placed on preventing conflicts before they escalate.
He backed the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan as a framework for strengthening conflict prevention, stressing that preventing conflicts was more cost-effective and sustainable than managing them after they had erupted.
The President expressed concern over the increasing involvement of foreign military forces, mercenaries and private defence contractors in African conflicts, warning that excessive dependence on external actors could weaken African institutions and undermine the principle of African ownership of peace and security initiatives.
He further called on countries that manufacture and export arms to work more closely with African states to prevent weapons and ammunition from being diverted to terrorists and other armed groups.
According to Tinubu, although the AU has established mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution, limited trust and poor implementation continue to restrict their effectiveness.
Nigeria also supported sustainable and predictable funding for AU peace operations, as well as the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 to strengthen the continent’s capacity to respond to conflicts and crises.
Tinubu urged African leaders to deepen cooperation and embrace home-grown solutions to the continent’s challenges.
He said Africa’s peace and security would ultimately depend on the willingness of member states to embrace shared responsibility and strengthen continental institutions.
“Let us therefore renew our collective commitment to solidarity, cooperation, and shared responsibility as we build the Africa we want,” the President said.
