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| Geoffrey Onyeama |
ABUJA - Nigeria's foreign minister on Wednesday condemned recent attacks on Nigerians in South Africa’s capital city, Pretoria.
Homes and shops of Nigerians have been targeted and looted in Pretoria West in recent days.
Buildings with Nigerian businesses have been burned in Johannesburg's Rosettenville suburbs in the past few weeks.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said his ministry had summoned the South African ambassador to discuss the matter.
The incident is the latest development in the rivalry between the countries with Africa's two largest economies.
Relations have been strained by accusations of South African xenophobia, with Nigerians alleging that Pretoria subjects them to harsh visa restrictions.
In the streets of Abuja, Nigerians expressed their anger over the attacks.
"They have their citizens here, right? They are not attacking them, nothing is happening to them, why are they attacking us over there? Why are they attacking us over there? Then come to the part of our government I think before this very time government ought to have taken a stand over that thing. They ought to have intervened, it shouldn't have come this far," said Abuja resident, Oladapo John.
At least 20 shops possibly belonging to immigrants were looted in South Africa's capital on Tuesday (February 21), but police could not confirm if the attacks had deliberately targeted foreigners.
South Africa, with a population of about 50 million, is home to an estimated 5 million immigrants.
Some politicians and residents say some of the immigrants are in the country illegally and accuse them of committing crimes and taking over local shops and jobs.
In April 2015, Nigeria recalled its top diplomat in South Africa to discuss anti-immigrant attacks that killed at least seven people and sent hundreds of foreigners fleeing to safety camps, as authorities sent in soldiers to quell unrest in Johannesburg and Durban.
In 2008, at least 67 people were killed in anti-immigrant violence, with thousands of people fleeing to refugee camps.
- Reuters