Nigeria Warns Anti-Immigrant Violence in South Africa Shows No Sign of Waning

The crisis engulfing African migrants in South Africa is deepening, and the diplomatic fallout is spreading across the continent. Nigeria's foreign minister has warned that anti-immigrant violence shows no sign of waning after two Nigerians were killed in disputed circumstances during protests — a blunt assessment of a situation that has strained South Africa's relations with much of Africa.

The violence has been building for weeks. More than 900 people have been arrested during anti-migrant protests that have swept parts of the country, as marches and blockades targeting foreign nationals — many organised under banners demanding jobs and services for South Africans first — have repeatedly tipped into intimidation and attacks.

The human cost is mounting on multiple fronts. South Africa has expressed condolences to Malawi after a third Malawian national died during a voluntary repatriation programme; authorities said the passenger fell ill and died shortly after a bus left a processing centre. Thousands of Malawians have joined the repatriation scheme, fleeing a climate of hostility that has made staying feel untenable.

For Nigeria, the deaths of its citizens carry particular weight. Waves of xenophobic violence in South Africa have periodically poisoned relations between the continent's two largest economies, triggering reprisals, evacuations and boycotts in years past. Abuja has already repatriated several groups of its nationals this cycle, with more flights expected.

The episode confronts South Africa with an uncomfortable contradiction: a nation whose liberation was backed by the continent now sees Africans fleeing it in fear. With economic frustration fuelling the protests and elections never far away, the conditions driving the violence — unemployment, inequality, scapegoating — show no sign of easing either.