Ghana to evacuate 300 from South Africa over anti-immigrant protests

Ghana says it volition evacuate 300 citizens from South Africa pursuing a caller question of protests against overseas nationals.

Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said successful a station connected X connected Tuesday that the Ghanaian president had granted support for their "immediate evacuation".

He said the "distressed" Ghanaians had registered astatine the country's embassy successful Pretoria to beryllium rescued successful effect to an advisory by the overseas ministry "following the latest question of xenophobic attacks".

On Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the caller "protests and transgression acts directed astatine overseas nationals" did not bespeak authorities policy, describing them arsenic "isolated acts of criminality".

He added that South Africa would "regulate migration, unafraid our borders and enforce our laws".

Thousands of South Africans joined protests against amerciable immigration, demanding the wide deportation of undocumented overseas nationals. Protesters accidental amerciable migration has had an interaction connected jobs, lodging and crime.

On Tuesday, the Ghanaian embassy successful South Africa advised nationals to beryllium highly cautious and prioritise their information by avoiding nationalist gatherings and unopen their shops oregon businesses successful the larboard metropolis of Durban up of a protestation planned connected Wednesday.

Ghana and Nigeria person precocious summoned the South African envoys to their respective countries implicit the mistreatment and harassment of their citizens.

Ghana has besides written to the African Union (AU) asking it to sermon the issue, saying it posed a "serious hazard to the information and wellbeing" of Africans successful South Africa.

South Africa responded by saying it had "nothing to hide". The authorities has condemned the circulation of what it called "fake videos and images" described by immoderate arsenic recordings of attacks connected overseas nationals.

Other countries that person warned their citizens successful South Africa see Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

According to authoritative figures, South Africa is location to much than 3 cardinal foreigners, oregon astir 5% of the population, but determination are believed to beryllium galore much without papers.

Xenophobia has agelong been an contented successful the state and has been accompanied by occasional outbursts of deadly attacks.

You whitethorn besides beryllium funny in: