Members of the March and March movement destroy stalls, for allegedly belonging to a foreigner, during a weekly demonstration in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, on July 23, 2026. (Photo by MZINGENKOSI SIBANDA / AFP)
Nigerian and South African diplomats sat down Monday as “brothers” to address a series of xenophobic attacks against foreigners, though tensions were evident despite the pleasantries exchanged in Abuja.
For months, South Africa has been the scene of protests — some of them violent — against African immigrants that demonstrators have blamed for crime, unemployment and a strain on public services.
As high-ranking officials from Abuja and Pretoria met at the Nigerian ministry of foreign affairs, both sides addressed each other as brothers and cited Nigeria’s support for the fight against apartheid.
But the delegations also staked out positions that seemed unlikely to be resolved, with the Nigerian side denouncing Pretoria’s “complicity” in the protests.
