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• warns against foreign control of Africa’s security
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has escalated Nigeria’s concerns over recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa to the African Union, demanding urgent collective action to protect the dignity and safety of Africans across the continent.
This is even as he warned African leaders against allowing foreign military forces, mercenaries and private defence contractors to increasingly dictate the continent’s response to its security crises, saying such dependence threatens Africa’s ownership of its own peace and security agenda.
Tinubu, who spoke through Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented him at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Luanda, Angola, called on African leaders to confront the issue as a threat to the continent’s solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence.
According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of The Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, President Tinubu specifically asked the AU to place the recurring attacks on the agenda of its 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly scheduled for January 2027, where the matter would be considered for appropriate action.
“Nigeria wishes to express its concern over the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Africans and other nationals in South Africa,” Tinubu said in a message delivered by vis Vice President.
While acknowledging South Africa’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration laws and its contributions to the continent, the President said attacks targeting Africans could not be dismissed as an internal matter.
“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.
Tinubu urged African leaders to reaffirm their commitment to the safety, protection and dignity of all African nationals, regardless of their countries of origin.
“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,” he declared.
The President also called for stronger continental mechanisms to combat xenophobia and Afrophobia, stressing that dialogue, preventive diplomacy and collective action were critical to preserving African unity.
Beyond the issue of attacks against Africans in South Africa, Tinubu used the AU summit to push for a stronger continental response to Africa’s worsening security challenges.
He called for a renewed commitment to home-grown solutions, stronger cooperation and collective responsibility in tackling conflicts across the continent.
Nigeria backed the adoption of the Luanda Action Plan as a practical roadmap for strengthening conflict prevention across the continent.
According to the President, preventing conflicts remains more sustainable and less costly than managing them after they have escalated into full-blown crises.
“For Nigeria, conflict prevention remains more cost-effective and sustainable than conflict management,” he said.
Tinubu, however, warned that fragmented peace initiatives and the growing involvement of foreign military forces, mercenaries and private defence contractors could undermine the AU’s conflict prevention architecture and weaken the principle of African ownership.
He urged African countries to strengthen their own institutions and mechanisms for resolving conflicts rather than becoming increasingly dependent on external actors.
“The growing reliance on external actors risks weakening African institutions and the principle of African ownership,” the President warned.
He also called on arms-producing and exporting countries to deepen cooperation with African states to ensure that weapons and ammunition manufactured within their jurisdictions do not find their way into the hands of terrorists and other non-state armed groups.
Tinubu noted that the AU already possesses mechanisms designed to prevent and resolve conflicts, but said their effectiveness had been constrained by limited trust among member states and inconsistent implementation.
He therefore called for renewed political commitment to collective responsibility for peace and security across Africa.
Nigeria also supported sustainable and predictable financing for AU peace operations and the full operationalisation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719, which provides a framework for strengthening the financing and effectiveness of AU-led peace support operations.
The President said stronger financing would enable the continental body to respond more effectively to conflicts and crises without excessive dependence on external actors.
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,” he said.
