Igbo Youths Worldwide Decries Rising Xenophobic Attack Against Nigerians in South Africa

Odinma Umu Igbo President, Mazi Anyanwuakpaoke

Igbo Youths Worldwide (Odinma Umu Igbo) has condemned the recurring xenophobic attacks against Igbos, Nigerians and other African nationals residing in South Africa.

The group called on the South African government to take immediate and decisive steps to end the violence and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In a statement signed by its President-General, Mazi Anyanwuakpaoke, at the weekend, the group described the attacks, intimidation, unlawful killings and destruction of businesses owned by foreign Africans as an assault on the collective conscience of the African continent.
According to the organisation, the incidents constitute a violation of the principles of Pan-Africanism, brotherhood, human dignity and peaceful coexistence upon which Africa’s future should be built.
The group expressed sadness that fellow Africans were turning against one another, noting that such actions evoke the painful era of colonialism and apartheid, when Africans endured oppression, discrimination and systemic injustice.
The organisation reminded South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the country’s citizens of Nigeria’s significant contributions to the anti-apartheid struggle.
It recalled that successive Nigerian governments, labour unions, civil society organisations, students and ordinary citizens provided political, diplomatic, financial and moral support to South Africa’s liberation movement.
The group also highlighted the contributions of the late Nigerian nationalist, Mazi Mbazulike Amaechi, and many other Nigerians, including people of Igbo extraction, who stood in solidarity with South Africans until the end of apartheid under the leadership of the late Nelson Mandela and other liberation heroes.
“It is painful that the descendants of those who benefited from Africa’s collective sacrifice now witness fellow Africans being hunted, assaulted, dispossessed and, in some tragic cases, killed simply because they are foreigners,” the statement said.
The organisation described the Igbo as a people renowned globally for their enterprise, resilience, innovation and peaceful economic engagement, stressing that they have consistently contributed to commerce, employment generation, investment and community development wherever they reside.
It warned that the destruction of businesses built through years of hard work not only impoverishes innocent families but also weakens South Africa’s economy, discourages investment and damages the country’s international reputation.
The group also commended Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, for promoting African dignity, sovereignty and continental cooperation, describing his leadership as an inspiration to many young Africans.
Igbo Youths Worldwide urged the South African government to end all forms of xenophobic violence, guarantee the safety of law-abiding African residents, particularly Nigerians and Igbos, arrest and prosecute those responsible for attacks and the destruction of property, promote public enlightenment on tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and strengthen diplomatic engagement with Nigeria to ensure the safety of Nigerian citizens.
The organisation further called on the Federal Government of Nigeria, the African Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the international human rights community to speak out decisively against xenophobic violence, warning that continued silence would only embolden the perpetrators.
While urging Igbos residing in South Africa to remain law-abiding and refrain from retaliation, the group reaffirmed its commitment to justice, peace and African unity, stressing that the continent’s future depends on dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect rather than hatred, violence and division.