ECOWAS Moves to Investigate Terror Surge, Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa

The ECOWAS Parliament has initiated a probe into the rising spate of terrorism in the West African sub-region and the recent xenophobic attacks against African migrants in South Africa.

The resolution was adopted during plenary at its First 2026 Ordinary Session in Abuja after a motion by Ghanaian lawmaker and Third Deputy Speaker, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.

Parliamentarians tasked the Committee on Political Affairs with investigating terror incidents in countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso, alongside xenophobic violence targeting ECOWAS citizens in South Africa.

Afenyo-Markin, while presenting the motion, stressed the urgency of addressing threats to the safety of West African nationals, both within the region and abroad.

“A regional community that cannot protect its own citizens in transit has not yet earned its name,” he said.

He highlighted the February 14 attack in Burkina Faso, where suspected Al-Qaeda-linked militants ambushed a truck carrying 18 Ghanaian traders.

“The attackers separated the men from the women before executing them and setting the vehicle ablaze with the driver still inside,” he said, adding: “These were not statistics. They were breadwinners, fathers and sons.”

He also referenced an April 25 attack in Mali that claimed the life of Gen. Sadio Camara and disrupted trade routes, noting that Ghana’s Foreign Ministry could no longer guarantee safe passage along the corridor.

The lawmaker criticised ECOWAS for failing to effectively enforce its Free Movement Protocol, saying citizens continue to face obstacles at borders.

“The daily reality of our citizens contradicts the promise at every turn,” he said.

Addressing xenophobia, Afenyo-Markin cited incidents in KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Town and Pretoria where African migrants—including Nigerians and Ghanaians—were attacked, displaced and had their businesses looted.

While acknowledging South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s condemnation of the attacks, he argued that stronger measures were needed.

“Words delivered from a ceremonial platform do not arrest a single perpetrator,” he said. “The safety of our people must never be a matter open to devastation.”

He urged South African authorities to ensure thorough investigations and prosecutions and called for engagement with South Africa’s Parliament and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to address the crisis.

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