Nigeria has complained to South Africa about a wave of attacks targeting foreigners and called on Pretoria to punish the culprits and compensate the victims, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Junior Foreign Minister Musiliu Obanikoro summoned South Africa’s High Commissioner Lulu Mnguni “to register Nigeria’s protest over the ongoing xenophobic attacks against fellow Africans in South Africa”.
“In the meeting, ambassador Obanikoro condemned the attacks on foreigners in South Africa, expressing concern on the fate of Nigerians and indeed of other nationals who are migrants in the country,” said a statement from his office.
South Africa needed to take “concrete steps to quell the unrest and bring the culprits involved to book” to act as a deterrent and prevent further violence, the statement added.
“He also called on the South African authorities to compensate the victims of these attacks,” the ministry said.
Soldiers were deployed overnight to tackle gangs hunting down and killing foreigners after at least seven people died in violence in the last few weeks.
Meanwhile, South African police and soldiers raided a hostel considered a hotspot for anti-immigrant attacks on Wednesday.
Police spokesman Lieut. Kay Makhubela said that 11 men were arrested Tuesday night in a bid to snuff out any further unrest. He said police were accompanied by the South African military.
Makhubela said the residents of the dilapidated block in downtown Johannesburg were believed to have looted foreign-owned shops in recent weeks. He said police met no resistance as they seized stolen goods and bags of marijuana.
Police said no new incidents of violence targeting foreigners were reported overnight in Johannesburg or in the coastal city of Durban, where the attacks began.
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