Thu 12 September 2019:
Nigerian airline to return more than 600 nationals in the coming days with victims saying it’s ‘not safe here’.
Private Nigerian airline Air Peace volunteered to fly people for free back to the commercial capital Lagos on Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear how many people boarded the flight, but Nigeria’s government said it estimated 313 people were on their way home. A second flight departs on Thursday or Friday with 640 Nigerians in total fleeing the country.
The repatriation came after riots in Pretoria and Johannesburg killed at least 12 people as 1,000 foreign-owned businesses were targeted. The nationalities of those killed have not been announced but Nigerians, Ethiopians, Congolese, and Zimbabweans were attacked, according to local media.
More than 700 people from other countries, including Malawi and Zimbabwe, have sought refuge in community centres. Many left their homes with little more than a few bags when the violence began.
It was not the first time that foreigners were attacked in South Africa.
In 2008, at least 62 people, including South Africans, were killed. Violence and looting targeting foreign-owned stores left seven dead in 2015.
The root cause of the latest violence is still unclear, but high unemployment, poverty and criminality may have played a role.
South African officials were hesitant to describe the violence as xenophobic attacks, and instead said it was an issue of criminality that the government was trying to deal with.
“While there has been a significant decline in the number of incidents, police forces remain on high alert and are closely monitoring hotspots to ensure further violence does not erupt,” Minister of Defence Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said.
Police have arrested at least 653 people, mostly South Africans but some foreigners as well, in connection to the attacks, Minister of Police Bheki Cele said.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to visit South Africa next month to discuss the violence and seek a solution.
-Source: Al Jazeera
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
