South Africa remains committed to maintaining friendly relations with Nigeria after Abuja recalled its ambassador to Pretoria in the wake of attacks on immigrants.
Nigeria which is the only country to do so recalled its Acting High Commissioner, Martin Cobham and his deputy Uche Ajulu-Okeke following discontent by African countries’ over South Africa’s handling of attacks on foreigners.
Nigeria and Zimbabwe have criticized South Africa for failing to protect foreigners from armed mobs. South Africa deployed troops last week to hotspots in the two cities to try to quell the violence.
At least seven people have been killed over the last month in a wave of anti-immigrant violence centered on areas of Durban and Johannesburg.
(BBC) In its response, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Co-operation points out that “a government resorts to such an extraordinary diplomatic step to express outrage at actions or behavior of another government.
The statement says South Africa has not blamed Nigeria “for the deaths and more than nine months delay in the repatriation of the bodies of our fallen compatriots” in attacks by Boko Haram militants.
The statement insists that the South African government and citizens have been “decisive and unequivocal in condemning and rejecting the attacks on foreign nationals” and insists that “through our interventions, relative calm and order has been restored”.
