Perpetrators of xenophobic attacks in South Africa must be prosecuted - Osahen Afenyo-Markin

The Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and Minority Leader in Ghana’s Parliament, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called for the prosecution of those behind ongoing xenophobic attacks against African migrants in South Africa.

His comments come amid reports of violent assaults on foreign nationals in parts of South Africa over the past two weeks, where groups of locals have allegedly attacked and chased away Africans over job-related tensions.

The attacks have resulted in the killings of some Africans, with others displaced.

Addressing the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja on Tuesday, May 5, Osahen Afenyo-Markin acknowledged condemnation from the South African government but noted that stronger action is needed beyond statements.

“South Africa must move from speeches to action. The South African Police Service, the National Prosecuting Authority, and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate must investigate every documented incident,” he said.

He stressed that perpetrators of the attacks must not be shielded from accountability but justice should be applied without exception.

“The perpetrators must be identified, arrested, charged, and prosecuted to conviction, without fear or favour and without impunity. Not some of them. All of them,” the lawmaker stressed.

The Third Deputy Speaker further urged the House to transmit a former statement of deep concern to the South African Parliament, the African Union Commission and the African Commission on Human and People's Rights.

Besides the xenophobic attacks, Osahen further raised concerns about citizens who have lost their lives in terrorist attacks in the Sahel region.

He urged ECOWAS member states to strengthen protections for their citizens abroad and ensure that regional protocols on free movement are fully implemented.