Boko Haram, AU and Others React to South Africans Unbecoming Xenophobic Act

News stands are awash with unplesant pictures of the dastardly acts of South Africans towards foreigners in their land. Cable network news channels and their local counterparts inundate our TV screens with the gory and sympathetic scenes of fellow African brothers and sisters being beating and robbed while the unlucky ones are clubbed or matcheted to death, just because they felt foreign immigrants are taking job opportunities that are meant for them. In their own conviction the innocent ones they kill and maim are responsible for their parlous state and poverty ridden life.

South Africans attack foreign immigrants from African countries such as  Zambia, Somalia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe among others  collectively refer to as makwerekwere—a derogatory name for foreigners or onomatopoeia for someone who speaks unintelligibly, a “babbler.”

The vicious act is concentrated around Alexandra, a township northeast of Johannesburg as well as informal immigrants settlement in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

Thousands of African nationals resident in the country of whatever legal status were harassed and molested in mass campaigns for eviction spearheaded by vigilante mobs who are mainly unemployed youths. The concerted efforts of the concerned community members and local leaders to stop them prove abortive.

At least five people have been reported killed officially while hundreds had fled their homes for safer places since the outbreaks of the senseless xenophobic violence in many years since 2008, according authorities on Tuesday. 

A city by city analysis of the orgy of violence and rampage revealed that most of it occurred within and in the suburbs of the coastal city of Durban. Police said two foreigners and three South Africans were killed. Among the dead was a 14-year-old boy who died at a hospital on Monday night after being shot at a looting, South African Police official disclosed.

About 34 people have been apprehended so far by police officers over the incidence, in possession of  small and unlicensed firearms as well for looting. South African Government has equally rose up to the situation by deploying and put on high alert policemen and women in foreign immigrants settlement areas. 

Regrettably, the crisis is snowballing into international terrorism as the dreaded fundamentalist Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram has threatened to attack South Africa's embassy in Nigeria and other interests if the ongoing xenophobic attacks against African migrants did not stop within 24 hours by South African Government of Jacob Zuma. The dreaded group believed to be Al Quaeda and ISIL, in a short YouTube video message also threatened to mobilise its terror merchants to South Africa to bomb certain targets as well as kill South Africans resident in Nigeria and other surrounding countries of Chad and Niger among others.

Expectedly, affected African States are disturbed and worried and are taking actions to safeguard the lives of their citizenry. For instance Zambia has issued a suspension ban on the playing of South Africa originated music products on any of her airwaves. Nigerian Government has also directed all Nigerian in South Africa to close shop and suspend all public appearance activities till the situation gets better.

Nigerian House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the nation's legislative arms likewise has directed the Federal Government of Nigeria to recall it Ambassador to South Africa for proper briefing of the two houses of legislature as well as advise Nigerian Government on necessary actions to take in ensuring no Nigerian life is lost to the xenophobic senseless killing of Africans who sojourn in that country.

The African Union (AU) had equally spoken  on the despicable and unAfrican conducts of the South Africans and expressed its concern over the well-being of African brothers and sisters living in that country. While condemning the unbecoming act of the South African, AU called  on the Government of South African to rise up to the occasion and put a stop to the unbecoming attitude of her citizenry to other African nationals resident in that that country.