Nigeria confirms it will repatriate more than 1,000 of its nationals from South Africa following rising anti-migrant sentiment and reports of xenophobic attacks and protests. Multiple outlets say Nigeria has set plans in motion for the evacuation, with several repatriation flights scheduled to move citizens back to Nigeria. Bloomberg reports that Nigeria plans five repatriation flights, with the first departures expected to begin this week and an initial flight noted by News24 as leaving on Wednesday. Premium Times also frames the move as a response to concerns about the safety of foreign nationals after recent anti-immigrant protests in parts of South Africa.
Other reporting indicates the broader regional response includes similar measures by additional governments. Deutsche Welle notes that, alongside Nigeria, Ghana is also offering to fly its citizens home from South Africa. BBC further describes Nigeria as the latest African country to carry out repatriations after reports of violence against migrants. Across the sources, the common elements are the number of Nigerians affected (over 1,000), the safety concerns driving the programme, and the use of charter flights to evacuate citizens.
