Mozambique says citizens killed in South Africa xenophobic violence

Mozambique's government has said several of its citizens were killed in what it described as xenophobic attacks in South Africa, in violence that swept the coastal town of Mossel Bay.

According to the Mozambican authorities, five citizens were killed directly as a result of the attacks, while two others died in a road accident while travelling home, bringing the total number of deaths to seven. About 800 Mozambican nationals were said to have been caught up in the unrest.

The violence prompted roughly 300 Mozambicans to return home by their own means, while more than 500 were sheltered in a safe location in the Western Cape province as a repatriation process got under way. The killings added to alarm across the region over the safety of foreign nationals in South Africa.

There was a dispute over the toll. South African police confirmed that two Mozambicans had been killed in weekend violence but did not corroborate the Mozambican government's figure of five deaths in xenophobic attacks.

The episode formed part of a broader wave of anti-migrant tension in South Africa, where a series of protests and reported attacks have driven citizens of several African countries to flee. Neighbouring governments have launched repatriation efforts amid warnings for undocumented migrants to leave.