Nigeria suspends official visits to South Africa over anti-migrant violence

Nigeria's parliament has suspended all official visits to South Africa in response to continuing violence against immigrants there, including Nigerians. The move was announced on Friday by the lower chamber and applies to lawmakers, committees, officials and staff. It also covers virtual engagements, signalling a broader political freeze rather than a symbolic protest alone.

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Akin Rotimi, spokesman for the lower chamber, said the National Assembly could not ignore what it described as persistent attacks on citizens abroad. Kamoru Ogunlana, the clerk to Nigeria's National Assembly, said parliament was particularly concerned by reports that Nigerians had been killed, injured, displaced and forced to abandon businesses, investments, homes and other property. The statement did not give a new casualty total, but it linked the decision to recurring violent attacks in South Africa.

The suspension comes after months of anti-foreigner protests in South Africa that have driven tens of thousands of people to leave the country, according to the report. South Africa has long attracted both documented and undocumented migrants, but it also faces high unemployment, weak social services and high crime. Analysts have said migrants are increasingly blamed for those problems, even though they stem from long-running domestic failures.

Nigeria has become especially vocal over the issue, accusing South Africa of not doing enough to stop the violence. The latest diplomatic step follows an attack last week in Durban, where marchers descended on an encampment of Congolese nationals and violent clashes followed. In some cases, protesters have gone door to door, dragged people from their homes and handed them to waiting police vans, according to the report.