Ghana’s president asks for AU debate on South Africa’s ‘escalating xenophobic attacks’

Ghana's President John Mahama Thursday doubled down on his call for the African Union to address recent waves of anti-immigrant violence in South Africa, which he said was "escalating". Two Ghanaians have meantime petitioned the International Criminal Court to investigate "repeated xenophobic attacks" in South Africa, a move Pretoria has dismissed as "opportunistic". South Africa, which has long drawn documented and undocumented African workers, has been rocked by weeks of protests and unrest targeting immigrants, who are accused of taking jobs and resources. More than 160,000 foreign nationals have left the country and several have died over the past two months as local groups increased violent hostility against undocumented migrants, putting Pretoria's relations with other African governments under strain. Read moreOn the ground: Thousands of foreign nationals leave South Africa Ghana first pushed for the AU to debate the violence in May, with Mahama noting that AU Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf had acknowledged the "urgent need" to table it for discussion at the bloc's next summit due in February next year. "Placing this on the AU agenda gives South Africa a formal,...