Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said that Ghana remains prepared to evacuate more of its citizens from South Africa should the security situation deteriorate.
Mr Ablakwa disclosed that Ghana’s mission in Pretoria had submitted a report to the ministry describing the current situation as “quite a dire situation” amid persistent anti-immigrant sentiment in the country.
The Minister said the developments were partly linked to a recent ruling by South Africa’s apex court concerning asylum seekers.
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa explained that the ministry’s Consular and Humanitarian Affairs Bureau was closely monitoring the situation and assessing the welfare of Ghanaians who might need support.
Mr Ablakwa said that the government had not closed the door on further evacuations and would intervene if renewed violence placed Ghanaian nationals at risk.
“It does not mean that if we have another wave, a deterioration of the situation and there are Ghanaians who need assistance, it does not mean that the door is shut and that we will not move in. We will indeed,” he said, speaking on TV3.
The Minister added that Ghana’s 72 diplomatic missions worldwide were actively monitoring the welfare of citizens in their respective host countries.
According to Mr Ablakwa, more than 6,300 Ghanaians have been evacuated from distress situations across the world since last year, including citizens brought home from Libya, Myanmar and Cambodia.
He said 1,964 Ghanaians were evacuated from South Africa during the most recent exercise.
On Ghana’s petition to the African Union (AU) over the attacks on foreign nationals, Mr Ablakwa said the continental body had responded and indicated that the matter would be discussed at its next summit in January 2027.
He declined to comment extensively on the latest incident in South Africa, explaining that he did not want to prejudice discussions expected to take place at the summit.
The Minister, however, called on South African authorities to take stronger measures to prevent further attacks against foreign nationals and ensure the safety of migrants living in the country.
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