Mahama Clears the Air on Tensions With South Africa over Xenophobia
- Ghana has formally written to the AU Commission requesting that xenophobic attacks in South Africa be placed on the agenda of the next AU Summit
- AU Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf acknowledged the urgent need to table the matter for discussion
- A special envoy dispatched by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with President John Mahama earlier in the week to discuss the matter
President John Mahama has sought to calm tensions with South Africa amid the tensions of xenophobic rhetoric in the country.
This is as Ghana pushes for the African Union to place the issue of xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa on the agenda of the next AU Summit.
Source: Getty Images
Mahama told the press on July 22 that Ghana’s decision to raise the issue was not intended to undermine relations with South Africa but to promote transparency and accountability.
“I told them that Ghana does not harbour any malice against South Africa, but we are raising it so it gives them the platform to explain what they are doing to the world."
Mahama said that AU Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf acknowledged the urgency of the matter and agreed it needed to be tabled for continental discussion.
The president noted in a statement on Facebook that earlier in the week, a special envoy dispatched by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Accra for direct talks with Ghana's president.
The president described the attacks as a direct contradiction of the principles of African solidarity and the broader push for continental integration, arguing that ignoring the root causes of the violence would not make them disappear.
He highlighted the financial burden Ghana has incurred in evacuating its citizens from South Africa, saying the scale and impact of the attacks warranted continental attention.
Source: YEN.com.gh
