Mozambique reports seven citizens killed in South African xenophobic attacks

Seven Mozambican citizens have died in South Africa due to xenophobic attacks since Friday, with five killed directly and two in a traffic accident while returning home. The Mozambican government's information office (Gabimfo) reported that over 800 Mozambicans in Mossel Bay, Western Cape province, were victims of xenophobic acts.

Gabimfo stated that around 300 Mozambicans returned to Mozambique voluntarily, while another 500 remaining in South Africa are being housed in a secure location awaiting repatriation. The government plans to transfer these citizens to their places of residence.

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Seven Mozambican citizens have died, five of them as a direct consequence of xenophobic attacks and two others as a consequence of a traffic accident while returning to Mozambique in a private vehicle.

Warning of worsening insecurity, Gabimfo cited demands from anti-immigrant groups for certain foreigners to leave the country by June 30. The government is actively working to mitigate the situation and will continue to monitor it through its consular missions in South Africa.

This incident follows the repatriation of about 300 Ghanaians from South Africa due to a recent wave of xenophobic attacks against African migrants. Ghana had previously urged the African Union to address these attacks and send an investigative mission. South African anti-immigrant movements have been blamed for protests, sometimes violent, against migrants, whom they accuse of contributing to economic problems, poor public services, and high crime rates. Tensions have spread to other African nations, with Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, and Lesotho issuing security alerts for their citizens in South Africa. The South African government has condemned these attacks, which are a recurring issue in a country hosting nearly three million migrants, primarily from other African nations.

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Given the volatility of the situation - which includes demands from anti-immigrant groups for certain groups of foreigners to leave the country before June 30 - an worsening of the current situation is foreseen, and the Government is working to mitigate it.