AU can't do much to solve SA xenophobic attacks – Peace expert

Peace and Security Expert, Charles Nyukonge, has stated there is little to nothing the African Union (AU) Commission can do about the recurring xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The Cameroonian who is based in South Africa emphasized that intervention mechanisms will not be on a silver platter due to some policies which regulates and limits the power of the AU.

Speaking on the ‘Point of View’ with Bernard Avle, he noted that although the AU has actually issued a statement condemning the gruesome incidents, the AU as a commission does not have the power to sanction South Africa as a member-state because the member-state is “part of that club which for instance, the security council can actually sanction but their sanctions can be reversed as we saw in the case of Burundi”.

Immigrants, especially Nigerians have for some days, been victims of discrimination and violence resulting in deaths as well as loss of foreign businesses in South Africa.

There have been several calls by member-countries to put a stop to the barbaric act with some threatening to retaliate by attacking South Africans in other African countries and destroying their businesses.

However, Nyukonge indicated that despite the many petitions to the AU to intervene in the situation, the commission is entrusted with only executive functions and takes instruction and mandate from the AU summit whose leadership includes the Heads of States representing member countries.

Thus, “if you expecting the AU as AU which is the heads of state coming together to respond, that response is not going to come immediate.”

He, therefore, lauded the decision by Nigeria to move citizens who are willing to leave South Africa suggesting that other countries should also make provisions to move their people.

To him, it will mean that “once and for all we stop from this thing of just condemning and we actually do something” which he believed will also pave way for the idea of inter African dependence”.