Nigeria on Sunday condemned the deaths of two of its citizens in South Africa and warned that foreign nationals were being “unfairly targeted” amid anti-migrant protests.
In recent weeks, large numbers of people have joined marches in South African cities and towns demanding migrants be sent home – some of which turned violent.
what do we know?
Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry said the pair were killed on June 28.
One of these men, Emeka Charles Iroegbu, was reportedly killed by police officers in Sunnyside, Pretoria.
The ministry blamed the alleged use of “horrible interrogation techniques” for Iroegbu’s death, but provided no evidence.
The second, Moses Yunana Joe, was killed by unknown assailants in front of his shop in Witbank town in Mpumalanga province.
A ministry statement said the deaths came two days before a deadline set by protesters for foreign workers to leave the country.
“These two murders come at a time when foreigners are being disproportionately targeted in South Africa,” Nigerian Foreign Ministry spokesman Kimibi Imomotimi Abianfa said.
“This raises the question [the] “A deliberate attempt by some elements to falsely generalize and tag well-intentioned, hard-working and respectable Nigerians as criminals.”
The ministry called for an immediate investigation into the deaths and said it was concerned that politicians were further stoking tensions through xenophobic comments in local media.
South African officials have not yet commented.
protest movement is growing
A rising wave of anti-immigrant sentiment has swept across South Africa in recent months, sparking widespread protests that blame foreigners for high unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.
On June 30 alone, more than 120 marches took place across the country, attended by thousands of people in major cities such as Johannesburg and Durban.
The demonstrations sometimes turned violent – more than 900 people were arrested in a single day.
In response, Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi have deported many of their citizens and recalled South African diplomats.
Foreign-born residents make up about 5% of South Africa’s population of 63 million.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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