Nigeria has started making arrangements to bring home more than 1,000 of its citizens from South Africa after a new wave of anti-foreigner attacks forced many migrants from their homes.
Registration for the voluntary return programme began Thursday. Officials say the final number of returnees isn’t set yet, but it’s expected to exceed 1,000.
“Total figure not out yet. We are expecting over 1,000 persons,” said Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in comments to AFP Friday.
The move follows rising tension in South Africa where anti-immigrant protests have intensified. Migrant communities report increased hostility, and witnesses say groups have been moving through neighbourhoods on the south coast, telling foreign nationals to leave regardless of legal status.
“The people just chased us away. They didn’t ask us whether we have documents or not. They just chased us away like dogs,” Zimbabwean migrant Thomas Vincent Balogoi told AFP. Footage showed migrants carrying bags along highways after fleeing their homes.
Nigeria’s High Commission in Pretoria said it secured an agreement with South African authorities: Nigerians with immigration violations can leave through this repatriation instead of facing detention.
South Africa’s economy has long drawn migrants from across Africa, but unemployment above 30% has fuelled recurring friction. A citizen-led campaign recently set a June 30 deadline for removing undocumented migrants, raising fears of a repeat of past xenophobic attacks that killed dozens.
Ghana already started similar evacuations last month, repatriating about 300 citizens in phase one of an operation targeting roughly 800 nationals total.
South Africa’s government has stepped up operations against undocumented migrants while urging citizens not to take the law into their own hands. Official data puts foreign nationals at over 3 million, about 5.1% of the population, with most from SADC countries.
