Abu Jinapor Calls for African Union Sanctions Against South Africa Over Xenophobic Violence
Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Member of Parliament for Damongo, has called for stronger continental action against recurring xenophobic violence in South Africa, proposing that African leaders consider escalating the matter to the African Union with discussions potentially focusing on sanctions against the country.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, May 30, Mr Jinapor argued that the recurring nature of xenophobic attacks raises broader questions about the effectiveness of measures taken by South African authorities to prevent such incidents and protect foreign nationals residing in the country.
“Perhaps escalate it to the level of the African Union in terms of instituting sanctions against South Africa as a country and putting measures to deal with this situation,” he proposed, signalling a shift in tone from the diplomatic caution that has characterised much of Africa’s response to previous waves of xenophobic violence.
The Damongo MP’s call for AU intervention marks a significant escalation in the demands being placed on South Africa by concerned African governments and lawmakers. While past incidents have typically drawn statements of condemnation, formal proposals for sanctions represent a more assertive posture that reflects the depth of frustration across the continent.
Mr Jinapor stressed that the matter should not be viewed solely as a domestic issue for South Africa but as a continental concern requiring collective intervention. The safety of African migrants in any member state, he argued, falls within the purview of the African Union’s mandate to promote peace, security, and the free movement of people across the continent.
The MP was careful, however, to distinguish between calls for institutional action and the kind of grassroots retaliation that has sometimes accompanied previous episodes of xenophobic violence. Ernesto Yeboah and the Economic Fighters League have similarly emphasised the need for restraint, cautioning that retaliatory attacks on South African businesses or citizens in Ghana would only deepen the crisis.
“I can very well understand the kind of emotion this evokes and there is absolutely no two ways about that,” Mr Jinapor acknowledged. “But we also should be careful in the narrative and the discourse not to instigate a certain reaction which is very possible, where South Africans, for example, are indiscriminately targeted here in Ghana and other parts of Africa.”
His proposal for AU sanctions comes at a time when the continental body faces its own questions about relevance and effectiveness. The African Union has historically struggled to enforce decisions against member states, and any move to sanction South Africa — one of the continent’s largest economies — would face considerable political and logistical hurdles.
Nevertheless, the growing chorus of voices calling for more decisive action suggests that the patience of African governments with South Africa’s handling of xenophobic violence is wearing thin. Whether the AU will take up the matter remains to be seen, but the fact that senior parliamentarians are openly discussing sanctions signals a new phase in the continent’s engagement with the crisis.
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