Ghana wins ECOWAS backing on fight against xenophobia. Is African Union next?
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has endorsed Ghana's petition to the African Union (AU) calling for stronger continent-wide measures against xenophobia, marking a diplomatic boost for Accra amid tensions over attacks on foreign African nationals in South Africa.
Ghanaian Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the backing during an ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting in Sierra Leone, saying the regional bloc had fully supported Ghana's appeal for coordinated African action against xenophobic violence.
The move comes after renewed concern over attacks and intimidation targeting foreign African nationals in South Africa, including the fatal shooting of 40-year-old Ghanaian Bashiru Isaac in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
Ghana described Isaac as a law-abiding citizen and father of three, condemned the killing and lodged a formal diplomatic protest with South African authorities. Accra called for a full and transparent investigation and demanded that those responsible be arrested and prosecuted.
Isaac's body was later repatriated to Ghana, where government officials and relatives received his remains before they were transferred to the 37 Military Hospital. Ghana also said it would conduct an independent autopsy after stating that efforts to obtain South Africa's official post-mortem report had been unsuccessful.
South African authorities have disputed Ghana's account, insisting the killing was not linked to anti-immigrant demonstrations and warning against what they described as misleading narratives portraying the incident as xenophobic.
Despite the disagreement, Ghana has maintained that any attack on foreign African nationals must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible held accountable.
The issue has sparked wider debate across Africa, with some South African politicians and commentators accusing Ghana and Nigeria of exaggerating the situation to damage South Africa's international reputation. South African officials have also argued that many demonstrations were directed against crime and illegal immigration rather than foreigners.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
