The Mozambique government says at least five Mozambiquans were killed in xenophobic attacks in South Africa last weekend as the violence against black immigrants in South Africa persists.
These are the first deaths officially recorded by Mozambique since the latest wave of xenophobic violence, but the latest of what appears to be a growing number of fatalities. In April, two Nigerians were reportedly beaten to death by officials of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in Port Elizabeth.
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PREMIUM TIMES reports that concern over xenophobic violence in South Africa has been rising and has triggered diplomatic tension among African countries since videos of hostility towards African expatriates circulated online. The clips showed some South Africans holding sticks as they chased and beat Black foreigners, telling them to leave their countries.
According to the Mozambique government, around 800 Mozambicans were affected by the xenophobic violence that broke out in the southern coastal city of Mossel Bay on Friday.
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“Regrettably, seven Mozambican citizens have died, five of them as a direct consequence of the xenophobic attacks and the other two as a result of a road accident when they were travelling in a private vehicle on their way back to Mozambique,” the statement said.
Like other African states, including Ghana and Nigeria, the attacks have prompted the government to initiate repatriation efforts, and about 300 Mozambicans returned home on Saturday.
“The remaining just over 500 have since been sheltered in a safe location in the Western Cape Province, and as of today, 1 June, the process of their repatriation to Mozambique is already underway,” it said.
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Ghana repatriated some of its citizens last week and initiated a job initiative to provide employment opportunities for the returnees. Nigeria is yet to repatriate any of its citizens but announced preparations last month.
Ghana, in a recent advisory, also asked its citizens to suspend all non-essential travel to the country, stating that black foreigners in parts of the country are continuously subjected to physical assault and harassment. The country also earlier wrote to the African Union demanding that the xenophobic attacks be added to the agenda of the upcoming African Union summit.
Last month, Nigeria summoned the South African High Commissioner in Abuja and demanded a thorough investigation into the deaths of two citizens allegedly killed by Pretoria’s security operatives last month. Kenya also issued a travel advisory to its citizens, urging them to take safety precautions and avoid areas known to be hostile to African immigrants.
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As the crisis persists, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) warned Nigerians in their home country against reprisal attacks.
It said, “Reprisal attacks, violence, intimidation, destruction of property, hate speech, or any conduct that threatens public peace and national security is unlawful and will not be tolerated.”
The NPF assured that the government is “actively engaging relevant authorities through diplomatic, intelligence, and security channels to resolve the situation.”
It declared that “there is no cause for alarm” and added that reprisal attacks against any South African in the country are not allowed.
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