Xenophobia: Pan-African, ECOWAS Parliaments want urgent action

he Pan-African and ECOWAS Parliaments have called on the South African government to urgently address the issue of xenophobic attacks that resulted in the deaths of many Africans in that country.

The two parliaments have equally urged the South Africa to ensure that measures are put in place to prevent future occurrence of such attacks.

Speaking at the opening of Regional Consultative Parliamentary Meeting yesterday in Abuja, President, Pan-African Parliament, Rep Bethel Amadi noted with sadness “this criminal violence, which erupted in various localities in South Africa and resulted in heinous and barbaric killings of fellow innocent African citizens contradict the spirit of Ubuntu, Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.”

He added that, “The PanAfrican Parliament therefore calls on the government and people of South Africa to ensure the protection of lives and properties of all fellow African citizens residing in South Africa,” calling for the prosecution of perpetrators of the act.

Speaker ECOWAS Parliament and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu joined in condemning the xenophobic attacks and assured of their support for any legislation that would improve good governance in Africa.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal who was special guest at the occasion said the PanAfrican Parliament has raised the bar of legislative awareness on the African continent and decried that non-implementation of legal instruments has been a great setback to their efforts.