Nigeria faced violence and widespread looting of South African-owned stores due to anti-foreigner attacks in Johannesburg Wednesday, Sept. 4. The protesters set fire to entrances leading into a mall and stole groceries and toiletries from a ShopRite supermarket in Lagos.
“My store at Novare, Timekeepers Novare mall, Sangotedo, Lekki, has been broken into, looted and goods worth millions has been carted away with, this is getting out of hand, this happened this evening, am so sad.. Plz share this,” Twitter user and victim Lily Loveth (@Love96047280) tweeted. She shared an image of her trashed store along with the tweet.
Other store owners took to social media to share their misfortune at the hands of the protestors. Following reports of the attacks, police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds of rioters gathered outside stores in Surulere, one of the busier districts in Lagos.
According to CNN, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed called reports of the Nigerians attacking South African companies “deeply disturbing,” and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari sent representatives to express his concern to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Meanwhile, Nigeria pulled out of the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) in Cape Town and recalled its ambassador in protest against the attacks, according to CNN. South African police forces say 15 were killed, and more than 400 people involved in the violent attacks were arrested.
This is another violent attack fueled by xenophobia and prejudice that South Africa has faced in recent years. President Ramaphosa hoped the WEF would promote acceptance and boost intra-African trade, but the violence has shown that South Africa has a long way to go in curbing xenophobic protestors. Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor stated that some rioting was driven by the resentment of other Africans living and working in Nigeria, which Pandor called “Afrophobia.”
South Africa has faced other fallouts that have resulted from the riots. Tanzania suspended flights to Johannesburg and an international soccer match against Madagascar was called off, among other things.
According to BBC, South Africa closed its embassy in Nigeria after the attacks and threats to the safety of the diplomats and other staff. They also closed diplomatic missions in Lagos and Abuja, and Nigeria introduced plans to evacuate the nationals from South Africa, according to Al Jazeera.
Friday, Sept. 6, Nigerian foreign ministry said commercial airline Air Peace offered to evacuate the nationals willing to return “free of charge.” People seeking for a way out of the violence were instructed to consult the High Commission of Nigeria in Pretoria and the Consulate General of Nigeria in Johannesburg for further arrangements.
Saturday, Sept. 7, the Nigerian government dispelled accounts of an explosion at the South African embassy.
“Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has provided adequate security in and around all South African Missions and related business interests,” their statement read in part, according to Africa News.
Nigerian lawmakers raised several major issues with the attacks and how to try and prevent similar ones in the future. Some topics they brought up were a demand that the federal government continues to secure the interest of citizens, that the South African government fully investigates recent xenophobic incidents and a push for justice for victims, along with reparations for those affected.
