Nigeria has begun a census and selection operation of its nationals wishing to return voluntarily from South Africa, in a context of growing tensions targeting immigrants, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday June 5.
“The census started yesterday. The total number of people affected will only be known at the end of this operation, scheduled for tomorrow evening. We expect to welcome more than 1,000 people,” Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for Nigeria’s foreign ministry, said on Friday.
The Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria said in a briefing note dated Tuesday to the Nigerian community in South Africa that “the departure dates of nationals who have successfully passed the selection procedure will be communicated after the said procedure.”
“The High Commission has negotiated with the authorities of the host country exemptions for all offenses related to immigration, thus, people presenting themselves for control will neither be arrested nor placed in detention for the entire duration of the control, until their departure,” specifies the document.
The move comes as South Africa has been the scene of anti-immigrant protests, accompanied by allegations of attacks and acts of intimidation targeting African nationals, in recent weeks. The country has long been a destination for African workers, despite very high local unemployment and poverty affecting the population.
It has around three million legal immigrants (5.1% of the population), according to official statistics. Nearly two-thirds of these migrants come from southern Africa, notably Zimbabwe and Malawi, as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some also come from West Africa. At the end of May, Ghana chartered a first repatriation flight for around 300 of its citizens evacuated from South Africa due to tensions.
