Nigeria evacuates citizens from South Africa as anti-migrant sentiment rises

Nigeria has become the latest African country to repatriate its citizens from South Africa amid increasing anti-migrant sentiment. A plane carrying 268 Nigerians landed in Lagos on Thursday morning after departing from Johannesburg. These passengers are part of about 1,000 people who, according to the Nigerian consulate in South Africa, have registered to return.

Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Malawi have already conducted evacuations ahead of a June 30 deadline set by some activists for undocumented migrants to leave. Many people from other parts of Africa moved to South Africa after the end of white-minority rule in 1994, hoping for a better life. However, with an unemployment rate exceeding 30%, anti-migrant feelings have grown, leading to protest marches in major cities and xenophobic attacks.

At Johannesburg's main international airport, Justin, one of the Nigerian passengers, told the BBC that he had lived in South Africa since 1998. "I'm leaving because of the conditions they've given us here. They say we must leave on or before June 30. And because of the way they are killing people, killing our brothers, so I'm not safe," Justin said. He added that he had already been targeted: "Recently they attacked me in a taxi. I ran away and left my things."

After landing in Lagos, hairdresser and mother of three Chinwe Osuala said she had experienced violence during an earlier wave of anti-migrant attacks. "I was personally attacked in my business premises. But after everything I called the police. Police helped me," she said. The attack left her deeply concerned about her family's future. "You can't even walk around freely. You'll be scared, the children are scared, that's the main reason I came back, because of the children."

The head of Nigeria's Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, told the BBC that the country's emergency management agency would transport returnees to destinations across Nigeria's 36 states. She said they had received financial assistance of more than 100,000 naira ($73), along with mobile phone credit.

There have been no official figures regarding deaths caused by xenophobic violence in South Africa in recent weeks. The police have said two Mozambican men were killed in Western Cape province earlier this month but have not given a motive. The Mozambican authorities said the death toll was higher, and their citizens have been killed as a result of xenophobia.

Some protesters have blamed migrants for South Africa's high unemployment rate and pressure on public services. However, Nigeria's Consul General in South Africa, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, told the BBC that migrants make up less than 10% of South Africa's population and could not be "blamed for broken systems in education, health care, policing, unemployment." "They are not and cannot be the problem. So, migrants are basically being scapegoated," Okey-Uche added.

A spokesman for South Africa's Border Management Agency told local TV that none of the passengers on the flight had documents to live in South Africa legally. Okey-Uche said she did not have the figures, but delays in processing applications could lead to some people becoming undocumented migrants. She added that South African authorities need to do more against people "propagating these xenophobic attacks and anti-foreigner sentiments." "There are a lot of top South African politicians who have spoken up against what's happening, saying it's absolutely wrong. But down on the street, we need to see arrests. We know the people in charge. They're not hiding. They've caused mayhem in people's lives, but they're walking free. Some of them are running for election," Okey-Uche said.

South Africa is due to hold local government elections in November, with some analysts believing that migration is being turned into a major campaign issue. On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa made a televised address responding to the protests, announcing new measures to crack down on illegal migration. These include jailing employers who hire undocumented workers, setting up dedicated courts to speed up deportations, and having a biometric database for everyone in the country to avoid identity theft. He also warned South Africans not to take the law into their own hands by targeting those they suspect of being in the country illegally.