President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama (L), arrives at the Next Step Summit, a high-level consultative conference on the Landmark UN Resolution on the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans in Accra, on June 18, 2026. Photo: CLAUDIA LACAVE / AFP
Ghana’s President John Mahama on Thursday doubled down on his call for the African Union to address “escalating” anti-immigrant violence in South Africa, which he said risked undermining African solidarity.
Two Ghanaians have petitioned the International Criminal Court to investigate “repeated xenophobic attacks” in South Africa, a move Pretoria has dismissed as “opportunistic”.
South Africa, which has long drawn documented and undocumented African workers, has been rocked by weeks of protests and unrest targeting immigrants, who are accused of taking jobs and resources.
More than 160,000 foreign nationals have left the country and several have died over the past two months as local groups increased violent hostility against undocumented migrants, putting Pretoria’s relations with other African governments under strain.
