Foreign News
Xenophobic: ‘We’ve Drawn The Red Line Against South Africa’
- Says It’s Unacceptable, Enough Is Enough
- Asks Nigerians Not to Retaliate
By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
Nigerian Foreign Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama has warned the South African government against any form of xenophobic attacks on Nigerian citizens in the south coast country.
The minister also confirmed that Nigeria has boycotted the World Economic Forum scheduled for South Africa taking place on September 4-6.
Onyeama gave the warning on Wesnesday while speaking to State House correspondents after he met with President Muhammadu Bubari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said that President Buhari agreed with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo not to go to South Africa under the climate of xenophobic attacks.
The minister stressed that red line has been drawn against South Africa, warning ”enough is enough. We can’t allow any of our city to be killed in South Africa and we demand full compensation for their properties destroyed in South Africa.”
He said that recalling of Nigerian ambassador to South Africa, was one of the options the government would use in resolving the issue.
He added that the final decision will be taken after the report of the special envoy sent to South Africa.
The minister while giving an update on the xenophobic attacks said: “We have made it clear that what has happened in South Africa is totally unacceptable.
”We will not accept it and as I said earlier, enough is enough and we are not going to come back to this, we are going to address it once and for all.
”This is the position of government that we are going to draw a redline here. Whatever measures that needs to be taken to ensure the safety of Nigerians in South Africa, we will take.
“We have been in touch with the South African government at the very highest level with the President of South Africa as to what we want to achieve. The special envoy has very clear directives about the commitment and the guarantees that we expect from the South African government.
”Of course, a lot of things have been circulating in the social media which have not helped matters. Some of them have really distorted the situation and because of that have impacted our response.
”So, number one is that the information we have from the High Commission, from the Consul General in South Africa is that no Nigerian life has been lost during this crisis. And I think that is very important because on social media, there is a lot of stories going around of Nigerians being killed, jumping off buildings and being burnt. This is not the case.
”What we know is that premises, shops of Nigerians have been looted and property destroyed.
Confirming the withdrawal of Nigeria’s participation in the World Economic Forum in South Africa, he said that the Vice President was scheduled to go to South Africa tomorrow (Thursday) to attend the World Economic Forum, ”clearly with this climate, he and Mr. President have agreed that he should not go to the World Economic Forum in Cape town and we are looking at other measures to take.”
He said that Mr. President was particularly disturbed at the act of vandalism that has taken place here in Nigeria, in retaliation of what is happening in South Africa.
Onyeama stressed that the government believes that they have to take the moral high ground on this matter.
”We are victims here and have made that position clear to the international community and to the South African government. We here in Nigeria must not fall into the temptation of also resorting to the acts that we are condemning in others.
”Mr. President has pleaded and he is likely to make a statement on this, addressing the Nigerian people to please desist from acts of vandalism and aggression, destroying properties.”
The Federal govgovern appealed to Nigerians back home to remain calm, warning against taking attacking south African businesses in Nigeria.
He said that ”these businesses- Shoprite, MTN and others, yes there are South African but these are subsidiaries in Nigeria owned by Nigerians. So, as attacks are made against Shoprite and other such institutions, it is actually the property owned by Nigerians within Nigeria and the people working there are Nigerians.”
”So the people that will suffer from those acts of vandalism and aggression are not South Africans or anyone else but Nigerians. But morally, it is wrong not even because of who will suffer and not suffer.
Mr. President is appealing to Nigerians, the government is acting, we cannot state everything, our everything in public domain with regards to what we are doing obviously, but we want to assure all Nigerians that this government is determined that the redline has been drawn and we will not give in on this occasion and that the South African government has to assumed its responsibilities and do the right thing. Protect Nigerians and other Africans I might say in South Africa and we have to hold them to count. Full compensation has to be paid because as we have discovered from previous experience, a lot of these Nigerians loss their property and it is a long drawn out process and every often are not compensated for it. But on this occasion, the Nigerian government is going to fight for full compensation and hold the government of South Africa to count. And we are going to consider other options to ensure that the message gets across to the government of South Africa.
It is not a question of weakness or anything of the sort but we have to move decisively and that is precisely what the government is going to do.
We have all the options on the table and on the return of the special envoy, we will all sit down and look at all the options and assess the report.
And there is no measure that we consider to be appropriate that we will shrink from taking. We will take whatever and all measures necessary to ensure that never again are we going back to this whole issue of Nigerians being attacked and properties destroyed and in some cases killed in South Africa.
It is an ongoing story, we will keep you informed but the important message is that Mr. President is fully engaged in this process, he is being briefed on an hourly basis and we are not going to shrink from taking all the necessary steps to make it the last time this kind of thing will happen.”
Asked to disclose the identity of the envoy and measures being taken to protect Nigerians, Onyeama said: “the identify of the special envoy will be revealed in due course. There are certain reasons why we don’t want to do so immediately.
“On measures being taken, of course the security agencies are fully aware of the threats that are now existing to various businesses in Nigeria at the moment and they are fully mobilized to address that.”
On if the bone of contention has been established, he said: our basic premise is this, there is no justification whatsoever for individuals or coming as a group to take the laws into their own hands and to target Nigerians. This is totally unacceptable.
He added: ”It is important to note that there is now an African consensus building around this, it is totally abhorrent and unacceptable that there should be xenophobia against Africans on African soil, not to talk about what a Nigeria has done for South Africa, even everybody knows that during the years of apartheid but nevertheless we understand that the president of Rwanda will not attend the world economic forum, the president of Democratic Republic of Congo, the president of Malawi, the Zambian football team that were supposed to play in South Africa also stepped down that match and is not going ahead with it. And so is the African Union, the president of the African Union has also come out with a statement condemning what is happening in South Africa. A large number of victims are Nigerians and we will not tolerate it.”
On why the Nigerian High commissioner has been recalled when the envoy was on his way to South Africa, he said: “No. it is one of the options we are considering. He will need to come back but we feel he should come back after the envoy has gone there, so that Mr. President will also have the benefits of the full and comprehensive brief from all the individuals who are the position to have seen things at a close range.”
Poland plans to ban mobile phones in all primary schools from next academic year under draft legislation approved by the government on Tuesday.
The proposal, which will now be submitted to parliament, would take effect on September 1, 2026.
In Poland, primary school education runs through the eighth grade.
The planned law would prohibit the use of mobile phones and other devices capable of recording audio or video during lessons and breaks.
The ban would apply to both public and private schools, the Education Ministry said.
Exceptions would be permitted when the use of a phone is required for teaching purposes, educational support, or for health and safety reasons.
Education Minister Barbara Nowacka said the measure is a response to calls from teachers for stricter rules on smartphone use in schools.
She said that more than half of Poland’s schools have already introduced similar restrictions on a voluntary basis.
The government also approved a package of measures aimed at strengthening child protection online, which must likewise be approved by parliament.
The proposals include tighter restrictions on minors’ access to websites containing pornography and measures designed to speed up the removal of illegal online material.
Under the plans, operators of adult-content websites would be required to verify users’ ages anonymously, without collecting browser data or personal information.
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reopened the main airport in Ituri Province, the epicentre of the country’s ongoing Ebola outbreak, after a 10-day suspension of commercial flight operations.
The airport in Bunia, the capital of Ituri, resumed operations on Tuesday following the implementation of health and safety measures aimed at containing the spread of the disease.
The DRC is currently battling a major outbreak of Ebola, a highly contagious haemorrhagic fever that is suspected to have claimed at least 246 lives in the country and neighbouring Uganda, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
On May 23, authorities halted all commercial flights to and from Bunia Airport in eastern DRC, a region already affected by armed conflict. During the closure, only humanitarian and medical flights were permitted to operate.
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said the temporary shutdown was necessary to allow authorities to introduce measures designed to safeguard travellers and limit the risk of transmission.
Announcing the reopening on Tuesday, the transport ministry said an assessment of the outbreak response and monitoring systems had been conducted.
“Conditions are now in place for a gradual and safe resumption of flights.”
The government said the reopening would be carried out progressively while health authorities continue efforts to contain the outbreak.
Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are celebrating after five patients, who had Ebola and now recovered, were allowed to leave the hospital.
The current outbreak is suspected to have killed almost 250 people.
But those infected can get better and officials stress that people should seek medical help if they believe they have contracted the virus.On Sunday, there was a ceremony for a group of four nurses who were discharged from a hospital in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak.
“We were really demoralised because we knew that at some point… we were going to die. That was it… I’m telling you, if you have never been isolated, you will not know that it’s not easy,” Nurse Etienne Ezo told the Reuters news agency as he reflected on his experience.
The first survivor, a laboratory worker, to have recovered left hospital last week.
Health workers are on the frontline in the battle against the spread of the virus and are often the most at risk.
“This encouraging milestone bears witness to the effectiveness of field interventions: early detection, medical care, contact tracing and community engagement,” DR Congo’s Institute of Public Health wrote on social media.
Its director, Dr. Mwamba Kazadi, described the recoveries as a victory worth celebrating, adding that early detection and strong care make a difference.
Tedros has called on communities to work with medical staff after some residents attacked health centres over strict burial rules. The bodies of those suspected of having died of Ebola are not allowed to be handled by grieving relatives, regulations which clash with local traditions.
In a joint statement with the Congolese government on Sunday, he said local communities are “at the heart of the solution” and that “success” in their response depends on their trust and engagement.
“Persistent challenges include early detection and isolation of cases, contact tracing, safe and dignified burials, robust infection prevention and control in health facilities, and strong community awareness.
“The Government and WHO call on all communities to continue adopting protective behaviours, including regular hand hygiene, early care seeking in health facilities, and sharing accurate information.”
There are now more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases in the DR Congo, and at least 246 deaths. Neighbouring Uganda has reported nine confirmed cases and one death.
But in some affected areas, there is a sense of normality. In Bunia, schools and markets are open as people continue to go about their daily activities.
The current outbreak – the 17th in DR Cngo’s history – is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines, though some are being worked on now.
While cases are concentrated in DR Congo’s Ituri, North and South Kivu provinces, and some in Uganda’s capital Kampala, people have also been tested outside of Africa.
Health officials in Brazil said on Saturday that they were investigating two suspected Ebola cases in São Paulo state.
Meanwhile, protests have erupted in the Kenyan town of Nanyuki over US plans to construct an Ebola quarantine facility for American citizens at an air base.
Residents marching through the streets say the facility may expose local people to infection and an outbreak of the virus. There have been no recorded cases of Ebola in the country.
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