Buhari's South Africa Visit Begins Amid Weeks of Xenophobic Riots

Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari is due to embark on a three-day state visit to South Africa today on the invitation of Cyril Ramaphosa, amid increasing tensions between the two countries.

The trip comes at a time when Nigerians and Nigerian-owned businesses have been targeted in some of The Rainbow Nation’s largest cities.  These have in-turn led to retaliatory attacks on South Africans in Nigeria.

In a statement released this morning, Garba Shehu, Mr. Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, laid out the plans for the visit.  He said “President Buhari and his host will preside over the South Africa/Nigeria Bi-National Commission, during which a progress report will be presented.  At the end of the meeting, both leaders will sign a joint communiqué”.

The talks are expected to include the programme of repatriation that the Nigerian government has been running until recently, which has seen over 500 returned home in recent months.  The Nigerian Union of South Africa (NUSA) estimates a further 700 are waiting to be evacuated.

Xenophobic attacks are nothing new in South Africa, with many blaming foreigners for the lack of job opportunities and the rise in drug-related crime.

It is hoped that this trip will calm tensions between two of Africa’s most prosperous countries, both of which have seen a slowdown in their economic growth in recent years.