By RFPosted on 02-10-2019Modified on 02-10-2019 at 18:53

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa receives his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday (October 3rd). This long-planned state visit is part of a particularly tense context. A month ago exactly, the streets of Johannesburg were burning with new xenophobic attacks. Nearly a thousand Nigerians had fled the country.

This visit was primarily advertised as economic, an opportunity for both countries to strengthen their commercial ties. The reality is different. Xenophobic attacks are on everyone's lips. But the two countries, despite having drawn out last month, seem to want to wipe out the slate in Pretoria. The two foreign ministers met and apologized for the behavior of their respective nationals.

Nearly a thousand Nigerians fled Johannesburg in early September. At the same time in Lagos, a dozen South African stores were vandalized in retaliation.

In 2008 and 2015 already, South Africa had experienced such violence against foreigners. And each time, the Nigerian government had asked for compensation payments to compensate its citizens in South Africa. Requests twice refused by Pretoria. The same scenario should still be played between Cyril Ramaphosa and Muhammadu Buhari.

It seems that the South African President wants to remind his counterpart of the importance of fighting, " the conventional wisdom that all Nigerians are victims in South Africa ", because in fact no Nigerians have died in violence last month.

    On the same subject

    Nigeria: after the violence, the sadness of returnees from South Africa

    Xenophobic Violence in South Africa: Nigerians' Anger on Departure

    Xenophobic violence: Nigerians leaving South Africa are fed up

    Xenophobic violence in South Africa: Nigeria repatriates 600 nationals

    Tensions between South Africa and Nigeria: worried economic circles

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