Ghana says it will evacuate 300 citizens from South Africa following a recent wave of protests against foreign nationals.

Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said in a post on X on Tuesday that the Ghanaian president had granted approval for their “immediate evacuation”.

He said the “distressed” Ghanaians had registered at the country’s embassy in Pretoria to be rescued in response to an advisory by the foreign ministry “Following the latest wave of xenophobic attacks”.

Last week, South African authorities denied that anyone had been attacked, saying the widely circulated videos were fake.

On Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the recent “protests and criminal acts directed at foreign nationals” did not reflect government policy, describing them as “isolated acts of criminality”.

He added that South Africa would “regulate migration, secure our borders and enforce our laws”.

Thousands of South Africans joined protests against illegal immigration, demanding the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals. Protesters say illegal immigration has had an impact on jobs, housing and crime.

On Tuesday, the Ghanaian embassy in South Africa advised nationals to be highly cautious and prioritise their safety by avoiding public gatherings and shut their shops or businesses in the port city of Durban ahead of a protest planned on Wednesday.

Ghana and Nigeria have recently summoned the South African envoys to their respective countries over the mistreatment and harassment of their citizens.

Ghana has also written to the African Union (AU) asking it to discuss the issue, saying it posed a “serious risk to the safety and wellbeing” of Africans in South Africa.

South Africa responded by saying it had “nothing to hide”. The government has condemned the circulation of what it called “fake videos and images” described by some as recordings of attacks on foreign nationals.

Other countries that have warned their citizens in South Africa include Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

According to official figures, South Africa is home to more than three million foreigners, or about 5% of the population, but there are believed to be many more without papers.

Xenophobia has long been an issue in the country and has been accompanied by occasional outbursts of deadly attacks.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, 81, has been sworn in for a record seventh consecutive term following his landslide victory in disputed elections in January, extending his tenure as one of Africa’s longest-serving rulers.

Heavy security, including armoured tanks, were deployed in the capital, Kampala, ahead of the inauguration in what police said were measures intended to maintain public order.

Museveni was declared the winner of the election with more than 70 percent of the vote, with his term expected to end in 2031.

The 44-year-old opposition leader, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, fled the country after the election, saying he feared that “the regime wanted to eliminate me”.

Museveni first came to power as a rebel leader in 1986 but since then has won seven elections.

He is among the few African leaders in power for more than 40 years. Others include Congo-Brazzaville’s Denis Sassou Nguesso, Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang and Cameroon’s Paul Biya.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala. The government declared the day a public holiday.

African leaders who attended the ceremony included Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Félix Tshisekedi, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir and Somalia’s Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Uganda has one of the world’s youngest populations, with the majority of the people having known no other president.

Museveni has not indicated when he intends to retire, but analysts said this is likely to be his last term.

His 51-year-old son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the military chief, has been widely tipped as a potential successor.

However, Kainerugaba has increasingly faced criticism for the way he uses social media to threaten the opposition, including Wine.

On X earlier this year, he threatened to have Wine’s testicles removed in posts that have since been removed.

Wine, who leads the National Unity Platform party, said the results of the elections were “fake” and urged Ugandans to fight back for their democracy.

The government insisted that the elections were free and fair, and Museveni accused the opposition of seeking to overturn the results through violence, calling them “terrorists”.

Wine went into hiding after raids on his house, and accused security forces of targeting him and his family.

Police denied the allegations, insisting they were only providing security for him as a presidential candidate.

Museveni’s government has continued to face criticism from rights groups over a security force crackdown following the disputed vote.

Last month, Amnesty International said that at least 16 people had likely been killed between 15 and 18 January by the military and the police. It said the victims were reportedly unarmed and posed no imminent threat.

The rights group has also been critical of the treatment of another key opposition politician, Kizza Besigye, who remains in jail since late 2024 after being dramatically abducted while visiting Kenya and forcibly taken to Uganda.

He was later charged in a military court with possession of pistols and attempting to purchase weapons abroad – accusations which he denies.

President Donald Trump’s swift rejection of Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal has pushed oil  prices higher on Monday.

This action has fueled concerns that the 10-week-old conflict will drag on and continue to paralyse shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Days after Washington floated a ‌offer aimed at reopening negotiations, Iran on Sunday released a response focused on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, where U.

Tehran has also demanded compensation for war damage, emphasised its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and called on the United States to end its naval blockade, guarantee no further attacks, lift sanctions and remove a ban on Iranian oil sales.

However, within hours, Trump dismissed the proposal in a social media post.

“I don’t like it. Totally unacceptable,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without giving further detail.

The U.S. had proposed an end to fighting before starting talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.

Tehran responded yesterday by defending its stance.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said “our demand is legitimate: demanding an end to the war, lifting the (U.S.) blockade and piracy, and releasing Iranian ⁠assets that have been unjustly frozen in banks due to U.S. pressure.

“Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and establishing security in the region and Lebanon were other demands of Iran, which are considered a generous and responsible offer.’’

Oil prices surged by four dollars a barrel on Monday, before slipping back slightly, as the deadlock left the Strait of Hormuz largely closed.

Before the war began on Feb. 28, the narrow waterway carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, and has since become a central pressure point in the conflict.

Traffic through the strait is at a trickle compared to before the war.

Shipping data on Kpler and LSEG showed that three tankers laden with crude exited the waterway last week, with trackers switched off to avoid Iranian attack.

Sporadic flare-ups around the strait in recent days have tested a ceasefire that has paused all-out warfare since it took effect in early April.

The United States, surveys show the war is unpopular with voters facing sharply higher gasoline prices less than six months before nationwide elections that will determine whether Trump’s Republican Party retains control of Congress.

Washington has also struggled to build international support, with NATO allies refusing to send ships to reopen the waterway without a full peace ‌deal and a ⁠internationally mandated mission.

Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister of Turkey, which has been in close contact with the U.S., Iran and mediator Pakistan since the start of the war, will visit Qatar on Tuesday for talks on the conflict and on ensuring navigational safety in the strait, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Monday.

The next diplomatic or military steps remain unclear. Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday, where Iran is set to be among the topics discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping as pressure mounts to end the conflict and the energy crisis it has triggered.

Trump has been leaning on China to use its influence to push Tehran toward ⁠a deal with Washington.

Baghaei suggested China could instead use the visit to push back against U.S. objectives in the Gulf.

“Our Chinese friends know very well how to use these opportunities to warn about the consequences of the U.S.’s illegal and bullying actions on regional peace and security,” he said.

Addressing whether combat operations against Iran were over, Trump said in remarks aired on Sunday: “They are defeated, but that doesn’t mean they’re done.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war ⁠was not over because more work need to be done to remove enriched uranium from Iran, dismantle enrichment facilities and address its proxy forces and ballistic missile capabilities.

Netanyahu told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” that the preferred route was diplomacy, but he did not rule out the use of force.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post that Tehran would “never bow down to the enemy” and would defend national interests with strength.

In spite of the ⁠ongoing diplomatic efforts, risks to shipping lanes and regional economies remain high.

Earlier on Sunday, the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted two drones launched from Iran, while Qatar condemned a drone strike on a cargo ship in its waters.

Kuwait reported that its air defences had dealt with hostile drones entering its airspace.