Nigeria says 2 nationals were killed during anti-migrant violence in South Africa

In a formal announcement made public on Sunday, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the deaths of two Nigerian nationals killed last month in South Africa, amid a wave of violent anti-immigrant demonstrations targeting migrant workers from across the African continent. The two citizens were killed on June 28, just 48 hours before the expiration of an unofficial ultimatum issued by anti-immigrant protesters demanding all foreign nationals leave South African territory, according to the statement. Of the two fatalities, one Nigerian was allegedly killed by serving South African police officers, while the second was murdered by a group of unidentified attackers. The Associated Press confirmed that South African police services have not yet issued any formal response to requests for comment on the killings. The current wave of anti-immigrant unrest first erupted across South Africa in April and May, with demonstrators blaming foreign-born residents for the country’s persistently high national unemployment rate, rising violent crime rates, and growing strain on overstretched public infrastructure and social services. The outbreaks of violence targeting African migrants have already prompted diplomatic pushback from several affected nations: Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi have all organized repatriation operations to bring their vulnerable citizens home, and each nation has summoned South Africa’s senior diplomatic envoys to formally protest the attacks. In an official statement accompanying the announcement of the deaths, Nigerian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa emphasized the disturbing context of the two killings. “These two killings come at a time when foreigners are being unduly targeted in South Africa. This raises questions about deliberate attempt by some elements to wrongfully generalise and tag well-meaning, hard-working, and respectable Nigerians as criminals,” Ebienfa said. South Africa has a long, troubling history of xenophobic violence driven by public resentment toward migrant communities. The deadliest recorded outbreak occurred in 2008, when coordinated attacks on foreign residents left more than 60 people dead, a wave of violence that international human rights organizations universally labeled as targeted xenophobic attacks.