Ghana will evacuate 300 of its citizens from South Africa following xenophobic incidents.

Ghana announced on Tuesday the evacuation of 300 of its nationals living in South Africa, amid a resurgence of xenophobic incidents in the country in recent weeks.

In a message posted on the social network X, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa indicated that President John Dramani Mahama had given his approval for this operation.

"His Excellency John Mahama has given presidential approval for the immediate evacuation of 300 Ghanaians from South Africa," said the Ghanaian foreign minister.

According to him, these nationals "in distress" registered with the High Commission of Ghana in Pretoria after the recent violence and demonstrations targeting foreigners.

The Ghanaian minister indicated that the government assures that it wants "to continue to protect the well-being of all Ghanaians at home and abroad".

This decision comes amid a series of anti-migrant protests recently held in Africa's most industrialized country, accompanied by allegations of attacks and intimidation against African nationals.

Nigeria and Ghana have expressed their concerns about this situation.

Pretoria, however, rejects the accusations of xenophobia. "South Africans are not xenophobic," stated the spokesperson for the South African presidency, Vincent Magwenya, in early May.

According to him, these are "hotspots of protest" authorized by the South African Constitution. He also stated that countries must address "the poor governance that is driving large numbers of people to migrate and seek refuge in different parts of the continent, including South Africa."

At the end of April, the South African High Commissioner in Accra, Thando Dalamba, was summoned the day before by the Ghanaian Foreign Minister. He expressed his "concerns" regarding "acts of intimidation and harassment against foreign nationals, including Ghanaians," according to a statement.

The latter was referring in particular to an incident that occurred during one of the marches against immigration organised in Durban: "A Ghanaian national, legal resident, was detained and ordered to provide proof of his legal status, then invited to leave South Africa," said the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

South Africa, the continent's leading industrialized economy, hosts more than three million foreigners, representing approximately 5.1% of its population.

But high unemployment, above 30%, regularly fuels tensions against migrants.

In the worst wave of anti-migrant violence in the last two decades, 62 people lost their lives in 2008. Violent clashes also broke out in 2015, 2016 and again in 2019.