Nigeria and Ghana have jointly denounced the recent wave of anti-immigrant violence in South Africa, urging African leaders to address what they described as rising “Afrophobia” at the next African Union (AU) summit.

The position was reached during a meeting between Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Sola Enikanolaiye, and his Ghanaian counterpart, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on the sidelines of the ECOWAS meeting in Liberia.

Both ministers expressed concern over the attacks targeting African migrants in South Africa, stressing that discrimination, xenophobia and violence against fellow Africans have no place on the continent. They called for stronger regional and continental cooperation to tackle the factors driving the unrest.

The protests in South Africa, which have lasted for several weeks, have largely focused on undocumented migrants and have forced thousands of foreign nationals to leave the country. According to figures compiled from several African governments, nearly 150,000 people have returned to their home countries in recent weeks.

Nigeria has so far evacuated 1,490 of its citizens from South Africa, while Ghana has repatriated at least 926 nationals affected by the crisis.

The two countries also agreed that the issue should receive greater attention at the continental level, with both ministers pushing for discussions on Afrophobia during the next AU summit scheduled for early next year.

South Africa has traditionally attracted migrants from across Africa because of its relatively stronger economy. However, recurring tensions over immigration have continued to spark violence and diplomatic concern among neighbouring countries.

Ghana had earlier requested that the African Union hold discussions on xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Earlier this month, the planned visit of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to Accra was also postponed amid the growing tensions.