…Demands continental response to recurring attacks on Africans, urges debate at January 2027 Assembly
…Backs Luanda Action Plan
…Warns external military intervention threatens African ownership of peace efforts

President Bola Tinubu has taken Nigeria’s concerns over recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in South Africa to the African Union (AU), demanding urgent continental action to protect the safety, dignity and rights of Africans across the continent.

Tinubu, who spoke through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Luanda, Angola, said the attacks undermined the ideals of African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence.

The President called on the AU to place the issue on the agenda of its 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly scheduled for January 2027, for consideration and appropriate action by African leaders.

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

While acknowledging South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws and its contributions to the continent, the President stressed that such attacks could not be divorced from Africa’s broader commitment to unity and solidarity.

“While recognising South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws and acknowledging its contributions to the continent, Nigeria stresses that such attacks undermine African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence, and require urgent collective attention,” he said.

He added: “It is on this note that Nigeria calls on this august Assembly to place the matter on the agenda of the upcoming 40th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, scheduled for January 2027, for consideration and appropriate action.”

Tinubu urged the continental body and member states to intensify efforts to combat xenophobia and Afrophobia, stressing that dialogue, preventive diplomacy and collective action remained critical to preserving African unity.

The President’s intervention came against the backdrop of Nigeria’s longstanding concern over attacks and hostility directed at Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.

On the wider security challenges confronting the continent, Tinubu backed the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan as a practical framework for strengthening conflict prevention and addressing the root causes of instability.

He argued that preventing conflicts remained more cost-effective and sustainable than attempting to manage them after they had escalated.
“For Nigeria, conflict prevention remains more cost-effective and sustainable than conflict management,” the President said.

He, however, warned that fragmented peace initiatives and growing external interference through foreign military forces, mercenaries and private defence contractors could undermine the AU’s conflict-prevention architecture and weaken the principle of African ownership.

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 conflict prevention and resolution, limited trust among member states and inconsistent implementation have continued to constrain their effectiveness.

“The growing reliance on external actors risks weakening African institutions and the principle of African ownership,” he warned, urging member states to renew their commitment to collective responsibility for Africa’s peace and security.

Nigeria also supported sustainable and predictable financing for AU peace operations, as well as the full operationalisation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719, aimed at strengthening the continental body’s capacity to respond effectively to conflicts and crises.

Tinubu urged African leaders to recommit to home-grown solutions, deeper cooperation and shared responsibility in confronting 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,” the President said.