President Bola Tinubu has formally raised concerns over recurring xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other nationals in South Africa before the African Union (AU), calling for urgent collective action to address the situation.

Tinubu, through Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented him at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Luanda, Angola, urged African leaders to place the issue on the agenda of the bloc’s 40th Ordinary Session scheduled for January 2027.

The President said the attacks, despite South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws, posed a threat to African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence.

“Nigeria wishes to express its concern over the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa,” Tinubu said in a message delivered by Shettima.

While acknowledging South Africa’s contributions to the continent, the President stressed that violence and hostility directed at Africans and other nationals could not be treated as an isolated national issue.

He therefore called on the AU Assembly to consider the matter and take appropriate action at its next ordinary session.

Tinubu also urged African leaders to reaffirm their commitment to safeguarding the safety, protection and dignity of all African nationals, regardless of their country of origin.

He advocated stronger continental mechanisms for tackling xenophobia and Afrophobia, identifying dialogue, preventive diplomacy and collective action as critical tools for preserving African unity.

The President’s intervention came as African leaders deliberated on broader security challenges confronting the continent, with Nigeria supporting the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan as a framework for strengthening conflict prevention.

Tinubu argued that preventing conflicts was more cost-effective and sustainable than attempting to manage them after they had erupted.

“For Nigeria, conflict prevention remains more cost-effective and sustainable than conflict management,” he said.

The Nigerian leader, however, cautioned against the increasing fragmentation of peace initiatives and growing external interference in African conflicts through foreign military forces, mercenaries and private defence contractors.

He warned that such developments could weaken the AU’s conflict-prevention mechanisms and undermine the principle of African ownership of the continent’s peace and security agenda.

Tinubu also called on arms-producing and exporting countries to strengthen cooperation with African states to prevent weapons and ammunition manufactured within their jurisdictions from being diverted to terrorists and other non-state armed groups.

According to him, although the AU has established mechanisms for preventing and resolving conflicts, limited trust among member states and inconsistent implementation continue to constrain their effectiveness.

“The growing reliance on external actors risks weakening African institutions and the principle of African ownership,” the President warned.

Nigeria further advocated sustainable and predictable financing for AU peace operations and called for the full operationalisation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 to enhance the AU’s capacity to respond to conflicts and crises across the continent.

Tinubu urged African leaders to prioritise home-grown solutions, stronger cooperation and collective responsibility in addressing the continent’s security challenges.

“Let us therefore renew our collective commitment to solidarity, cooperation, and shared responsibility as we build the Africa we want,” he said.