Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, says African ambassadors in South Africa boycotted this year’s Africa Day celebrations in protest against renewed xenophobic attacks and hostility toward foreign nationals.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday, May 28, Mr Quashie said the diplomatic boycott was intended to send a strong message of dissatisfaction over the situation in South Africa.
According to him, no African ambassador attended any official Africa Day event held in the country.
“For the first time in our history, the whole group of deans and the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps ensured that none of us attended any event connected to the Africa Day celebrations in South Africa,” he stated.
“Not a single African ambassador attended the programme and that alone should send a clear signal that we are not happy with what is happening,” he added.
His comments come amid growing concern over renewed xenophobic tensions in South Africa, which recently triggered the evacuation of Ghanaians living in some affected communities.
The first batch of evacuees arrived in Accra on Wednesday, May 27, as part of a government-led operation coordinated by Ghana’s diplomatic mission in South Africa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The evacuation followed reports of intimidation, attacks and harassment targeting foreign nationals in parts of South Africa, forcing many migrants to seek safety or request assistance to return home.
The latest developments have once again renewed concerns about recurring xenophobic violence in South Africa, where migrants from several African countries have periodically faced attacks during periods of economic and social tension.
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