Ghanaian nationals petition ICC over South Africa xenophobic violence as Nigeria, Ghana demand AU action

Jul 22, 2026

Ghanaian nationals Palgrave Boakye-Danquah and Emmanuel Kotin petitioned the International Criminal Court to open a preliminary investigation into attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa that they allege could constitute crimes against humanity. South African foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri described the petition as opportunistic and cited the country's domestic legal safeguards against discrimination. Separately, Ghana and Nigeria called for anti-immigrant violence in South Africa to be placed on the agenda of the next African Union Summit, while Nigeria's House of Representatives ordered an investigation into losses, damages, and casualties suffered by Nigerians in South Africa.

South African xenophobic violence

▪The Nigerian House of Representatives mandated its joint committees to investigate the losses, damages, and casualties suffered by Nigerians in South Africa due to xenophobic attacks and report back within four weeks.
▪Ghana's Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sola Enikanolaiye jointly demanded that anti-immigrant attacks in South Africa be placed on the agenda of the next African Union Summit.
▪South African foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri dismissed the International Criminal Court petition as opportunistic, stating that South Africa has a sophisticated domestic legal framework against discrimination.
▪Two Ghanaian nationals, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah and Emmanuel Kotin, petitioned the International Criminal Court on July 15, 2026, to open a preliminary investigation into attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa.
▪The petition submitted to the International Criminal Court alleges a pattern of widespread and systematic attacks against migrants in South Africa and accuses President Cyril Ramaphosa's government of failing to prevent or punish these crimes.

Nigerian anti-apartheid solidarity

▪Orovwuje wrote that successive Nigerian administrations made opposition to apartheid a cornerstone of the country's Afrocentric foreign policy and that civil servants, students, and other citizens contributed financially and morally to the liberation struggle.
▪In an opinion article, public affairs analyst Samuel Akpobome Orovwuje wrote that Nigeria supported the struggle against apartheid through sanctions, diplomatic pressure, contributions to the Southern African Relief Fund, and scholarships for South African students.

Socio-economic drivers of xenophobia

▪Orovwuje argued that persistent unemployment, widening inequality, organized criminality, weak law enforcement, political opportunism, and misinformation have created conditions in which migrants are used as scapegoats for complex socio-economic problems.
▪Nigerian lawmaker Babajimi Benson said renewed anti-foreigner campaigns and rhetoric by Operation Dudula and similar groups had created widespread fear, with many Nigerian residents reportedly abandoning homes, businesses, and investments.

Bilateral cooperation proposals

▪Orovwuje proposed educational exchanges, permanent university research partnerships, cultural diplomacy, and a Nigeria–South Africa Business Council as measures to rebuild bilateral confidence.
▪Orovwuje argued that Nigeria and South Africa should strengthen intelligence sharing and law-enforcement cooperation against organized criminal networks while distinguishing criminality from lawful migration.

Pan-African continental integration

▪The Zambian Observer reported that Ghana and Nigeria called for coordinated regional and continental action to address attacks against African migrants and sought to place the issue on the agenda of the next African Union Summit.
▪Orovwuje argued that cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa is important to Africa's economic transformation, regional peace, and continental integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area.