Nigeria and South Africa tried to ease tensions after violent anti-migrant protests. But the rift is back

By Nimi Princewill, CNN

Abuja, Nigeria (CNN) — Protesters in South Africa have given migrants living illegally in the country until the end of the month to leave. If that sounds familiar, it comes months after another deadline came and went. And while the threat carries no legal force, it is causing major ructions between Africa’s richest country and its most populous — Nigeria.

In the wake of anti-migrant protests, rising tensions and even killings, some Nigerians – who are predominantly affected by the unrest – are leaving the country altogether. Others are closing businesses, seeking safety near the Nigerian mission or keeping their children out of school, Nigerian community representatives in South Africa say.

At the heart of these tensions are South Africa’s economic woes, with protesters pointing the finger at migrants — a pattern seen across the globe.

“High unemployment, pressure on public services and anxieties about crime create a political environment in which migrants can become convenient scapegoats,” Fola Aina, an international security analyst who teaches development studies at SOAS University of London, told CNN.

The unofficial deadline calls for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa, but nor have documented migrants been spared.

Nigerians have emerged as some of its most visible victims. Nigeria says nearly 100 of its nationals have died in mob attacks and other incidents linked to anti-migrant violence in South Africa since 2022.

That hostility comes against a backdrop of longstanding negative perceptions of Nigerians in South Africa, which Pretoria says has been fueled by the alleged involvement of some Nigerian nationals in organized crime, drug trafficking and financial fraud.

The fallout is also being felt hundreds of miles away in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, where a diplomatic rift is reopening. Nigeria’s parliament has suspended official visits and legislative engagements with South Africa as anger mounts over the treatment of Nigerians.

The deaths of two more Nigerians in South Africa this month have only added to those tensions.

What sparked the latest unrest?

Anti-migrant rhetoric had been building for months when groups, including March and March, gave undocumented migrants until June 30 to leave the country.

Campaigners blamed foreigners for unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.

As the deadline approached, thousands of foreign nationals sought to leave. Nearly 1,700 Nigerians voluntarily evacuated this year, according to Nigerian officials.

On June 30, demonstrations were held in cities including Johannesburg and Durban. While many were peaceful, reports also described clashes, looting and violence.

The departures continued after the deadline. Between June 14 and August 20, more than 86,000 foreign nationals were processed for repatriation and deportation, according to South African government figures, with Malawians making up the largest group.

As the June 30 deadline neared, two Nigerians were killed. But the campaign is not over as protesters say anti-migrant action will restart on September 30.

“There is significant anxiety and fear within the Nigerian community,” Akindele Olufemi Olunloyo, National Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Union South Africa, told CNN.

Weren’t Nigeria and South Africa trying to fix this?

They were.

In July, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola traveled to Abuja for talks to ease tensions. Both governments condemned xenophobic violence and discussed protecting foreign nationals.

South Africa has also pushed back against the anti-migrant campaign at home, stressing that immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the state. President Cyril Ramaphosa said in August that his government “firmly and publicly rejected xenophobia, Afrophobia, vigilantism, and all forms of discrimination against migrants.”

Yet two months after the Abuja talks, Nigeria said two more of its citizens had been killed in South Africa – and blamed police for one of the deaths.

According to Nigeria’s foreign ministry, Michael Taiwo Fakunle, a bishop, was shot dead at his Johannesburg home on September 4 after allegedly receiving threats. A day later, James Uchechukwu Nwankwo died following what the ministry described as “gruesome interrogation techniques” by South African police officers.

South African police have given a different account of Nwankwo’s death. A police spokesperson told local media that he was arrested on suspicion of drug possession but developed breathing difficulties on the way to a police station. Police said an inquest was opened and that there were no visible signs that he had been assaulted.

CNN has contacted South African police and South Africa’s foreign ministry for comment.

Femi Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, said eight Nigerians have been killed in South Africa this year, four allegedly by police officers.

“Our patience is wearing thin,” Fani-Kayode wrote in a post on Facebook. He said South Africans in Nigeria don’t face similar violence “by our people or our security forces,” adding that there would be “consequences” if the killings continued.

Why is Nigeria responding more strongly now?

Aina, the security analyst from SOAS, says that Abuja’s decision to suspend official visits to South Africa and the legislative boycott shows the issue’s growing political weight in Nigeria.

“Nigeria’s response has become more assertive,” Aina said.

But he cautioned against interpreting the move as a breakdown in relations. It does not end government-level contacts or existing agreements.

“Its significance lies in the political signal that business as usual is no longer acceptable,” he said.

The swift return of tensions, Aina added, also exposes the limits of July’s talks.

“Condemnations and assurances are important, but they cannot substitute for effective policing, credible investigations, prosecution of perpetrators and sustained protection of vulnerable communities,” he said.

South Africa’s immigration debate involves migrants from across the continent, and Nigerians are only one community caught up in it.

“This is fundamentally a broader South African debate over immigration, economic insecurity and national identity,” Aina said.

Who pays for the fallout?

The tensions have also opened a dispute over who should bear the financial cost.

Nigeria sought compensation for citizens who lost property and businesses amid the June violence. But South Africa has made a financial demand of its own, saying it would seek reimbursement from African governments for the cost of repatriating and deporting their citizens.

As thousands of foreigners sought to leave amid the protests, South African authorities helped process and facilitate their voluntary repatriation. Separately, the government continued deporting people found to be in the country illegally.

Nigeria, however, said it had received no formal request from South Africa to reimburse those costs.

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs told CNN that it intends to pursue reimbursement — through diplomatic channels rather than the courts.

Why does this matter beyond migration?

Nigeria and South Africa are among Africa’s most influential economies and political powers.

Nigeria supported South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle. Yet relations have not always been easy.

In 1995, then-South African President Nelson Mandela criticized Nigeria’s military government after the execution of writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, straining relations between the two countries.

In 2012, another row erupted after South Africa deported 125 Nigerians over allegedly invalid yellow fever certificates. Nigeria retaliated by deporting South Africans before Pretoria apologized.

More recently, xenophobic violence in 2015 caused fresh tensions, while another outbreak in 2019 prompted Nigeria to evacuate hundreds of citizens and boycott the World Economic Forum meeting in Cape Town.

That same year, South Africa temporarily shut its diplomatic missions in Nigeria after retaliatory attacks on South African-owned businesses.

The pattern has become familiar: attacks on foreigners in South Africa trigger anger in Nigeria, tensions rise and eventually both governments try to repair relations.

But repeated flare-ups risk consequences beyond the bilateral relationship.

Aina says prolonged tensions could hurt commercial ties and make cooperation on regional security and economic integration more difficult.

“The wider concern is that a dispute between two influential African states could undermine the credibility of the African Union’s commitment to continental solidarity and free movement,” he added.

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