Nigeria’s National Assembly has suspended all official visits to South Africa in protest against continuing violence targeting foreign nationals, including Nigerians living and working in the country.
The decision covers lawmakers, parliamentary officials, staff and committees and also applies to virtual engagements with South African counterparts, according to Akin Rotimi, spokesperson for Nigeria’s House of Representatives.
Rotimi said the National Assembly could not overlook repeated attacks against Nigerian citizens abroad, as concerns grow over the treatment of migrants in South Africa.
The parliamentary clerk, Kamoru Ogunlana, said lawmakers were particularly alarmed by reports that Nigerians had been killed, injured and displaced during violent attacks. Some, he said, had been forced to abandon their businesses, homes, investments and other property.
South Africa has long attracted migrants from across the African continent, including both documented and undocumented workers. However, the country faces high unemployment, pressure on public services and persistent crime, problems that analysts say have increasingly been blamed on migrants despite wider economic and governance challenges.
Nigeria has become increasingly vocal in calling on South African authorities to do more to protect foreign nationals.
The latest tensions have included demonstrations against migrants in several parts of South Africa. In Durban, protesters recently confronted a group of Congolese nationals living in an encampment, resulting in violent clashes.
In some incidents, demonstrators have reportedly gone from house to house, removing people and handing them over to police.
Nigerians have also been among those affected by the violence. Two Nigerian citizens were killed in June during anti-migrant unrest, shortly before a deadline announced by protesters for foreigners to leave the country.
Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry said one of the victims was allegedly killed by police officers, while the other was reportedly attacked by unidentified individuals.
The killings have added pressure to diplomatic efforts between the two countries. In July, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, met South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola in Abuja to discuss the recurring attacks.
During the meeting, Enikanolaiye said at least 98 Nigerians had been killed in South Africa since 2022 in incidents involving mob attacks, hate-related violence and extrajudicial killings.
Tensions intensified after anti-migrant protesters set June 30 as a deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa.
South African police said at least four migrants were killed in violence connected to the unrest, although governments representing some migrant communities have reported higher figures.
The violence has also contributed to a significant number of migrants leaving the country.
South African government figures indicate that nearly 90,000 people have either been deported or voluntarily repatriated since the migration tensions began. However, figures provided by the governments of migrants’ countries of origin put the number at roughly 178,000.
Nigeria’s decision to suspend parliamentary visits signals growing frustration over the safety of its citizens in South Africa and places additional pressure on relations between two of Africa’s largest economies.