The Government of Ghana has formally petitioned the African Union (AU) to address the recurring waves of xenophobic attacks in South Africa, describing the situation as a matter of urgent continental interest that threatens the very foundation of African unity.

In a letter to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and copied to the Chairperson of the Executive Council of the African Union (and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burundi) , Dr. Edouard Bizimana, Ghana requested that the issue be placed at the centre of the agenda for the upcoming Eighth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the AU, scheduled to take place from June 24 to 27, 2026, in El Alamein, Egypt.

Expressing deep-seated concern over the persistence of these incidents, government, writing through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, highlighted the devastating impact on human life and economic stability.

According to the letter, the violence has not only resulted in the tragic loss of lives but has also led to the systematic destruction of investments.

These conditions, government argues, continue to pose a grave and ongoing risk to the safety and well-being of thousands of African nationals who reside within South Africa’s borders, including citizens of Ghana.

The petition struck a poignant historical note, pointing out the irony of these attacks given the continent’s collective history.

The Foreign Minister noted that the current manifestations of xenophobia are particularly troubling when weighed against the “longstanding solidarity” demonstrated by African states during South Africa’s struggle against apartheid.

The transition to a democratic South Africa was a victory supported by the entire continent, a fact that makes the modern targeting of fellow Africans feel like a betrayal of that shared sacrifice.

While the Government of Ghana explicitly acknowledged South Africa’s national sovereignty and its primary responsibility to protect all persons within its territory, it maintained that the targeted nature of these attacks presents a direct challenge to the principles of “African solidarity, brotherhood, and continental unity.”

Ghana’s legal and economic argument against the violence is three-fold:

First, the government asserts that the attacks constitute a clear violation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, a treaty to which South Africa is a State Party.

Second, it contends that such violence erodes the spirit of Pan-Africanism that envisions a peaceful and united continent.

Finally, the government warned that these hostilities run directly counter to the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is designed to promote the free movement of people and goods, a goal that Ghana argues remains unattainable if African nationals face dehumanization and violence across borders.

In a bid for concrete action rather than mere rhetoric, Ghana has proposed several specific measures for the African Union Commission to undertake.

These include the formal inscription of the matter onto the El Alamein meeting agenda and the strengthening of AU monitoring mechanisms to ensure Member States uphold their obligations under the AU Constitutive Act.

Most notably, she is calling for the establishment of a fact-finding mission to investigate the underlying causes of xenophobic violence and to recommend remedial interventions.

Additionally, the proposal seeks the facilitation of dialogue and reconciliation initiatives to foster a renewed commitment to integration.

Invoking the legacy of her founding father, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana concluded her appeal by reaffirming that Africa’s future must be one of shared dignity and mutual respect.