Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari interacts with country’s top military at HQ 1 Brigade in Dansadau Zamfara State, picture, Vanguard
from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – NIGERIA’S leading pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group has called for the deployment of peacekeepers to resolve sporadic attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa.
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) gave the recommendation to President Muhammadu Buhari, who it urged to reject apologies from the South African president, Cyril Ramphosa, over the recent attacks.
The organisation recommended that the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) deploy a peacekeeping mission of at least 10 000 troops for no less least ten years to restore stability and security to South Africa following the violence.
“We implore Mr President (Buhari) not to accept the apology from the South African president over the huge losses to lives and properties that the Nigerian community in South Africa has endured over the last decades,” HURIWA stated.
The human rights group said Ramaphosa and his envoys to be deployed to other African countries must provide strong evidence that coordinated attacks against foreign nationals would never occur.
HURIWA called for an emergency session of the AU to deliberate on the xenophobic issues in South Africa.
“The South African President has not yet purged himself of these pro- xenophobic tendencies.”
Hundreds of Nigerians and other African nationals were recently evacuated to their countries in the wake of deadly xenophobic violence in South Africa.
Last week, some Zimbabweans booed Ramaphosa as he addressed mourners at the funeral of the late former Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, in Harare.
Ramaphosa deviated from his speech and apologised for the attacks against foreign nationals.
– CAJ News