Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Nigerian government has announced the commencement of procedures to repatriate over a thousand of its citizens residing in South Africa amid rising violence and tensions related to migrants, along with increasing calls for stricter measures against undocumented residents.
A spokesperson for the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the vetting and registration process for beneficiaries of the voluntary return program began on Thursday, in preparation for organizing flights to transport those wishing to return to Nigeria in the coming period.
The Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria announced in a statement on Tuesday that it had reached agreements with South African authorities allowing citizens with immigration violations to leave the country through the scheduled repatriation flights instead of being detained or facing legal action.
It added that these arrangements aim to facilitate the voluntary and organized return of citizens wishing to leave, while providing the necessary administrative procedures to ensure the process is carried out smoothly.
In April, the Nigerian Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu announced that her government had launched a special program for the repatriation of citizens wishing to return from abroad, following requests from Nigerians in South Africa expressing their desire to leave due to security concerns and escalating tensions.
The minister noted at that time that 130 Nigerians were the first to register under the program, confirming that the government would handle the arrangements for the return of citizens wishing to benefit from it, in coordination with Nigerian diplomatic missions and local authorities in South Africa.
This Nigerian initiative follows a wave of protests that have occurred in several areas of South Africa in recent months, where demonstrators have called for stricter measures to combat illegal immigration, arguing that it affects job opportunities, security, and public services.
Ghana has also recently assisted hundreds of its citizens in leaving the country following protests and violence targeting foreigners, raising concerns among several African nations regarding the safety of their nationals residing there.
Mozambique announced that five of its citizens were killed in attacks motivated by xenophobia in the town of Musel Bay earlier this week.
An alert issued by a local group to expel undocumented migrants by June 30 has raised fears of renewed violence that the country has experienced in the past, which resulted in numerous casualties.
In contrast, the South African government has confirmed that it is intensifying its efforts to combat illegal immigration in accordance with the law, urging citizens not to target foreigners or take the law into their own hands.
According to the South African Statistics Agency, more than three million foreigners live in the country, representing about 5.1% of the total population, with over 63% of them originating from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.
