Ghana is set to repatriate another 1,000 of its citizens from South Africa, with special evacuation flights scheduled to arrive on Sunday and Monday, as anti-migrant violence continues to force thousands of foreign nationals to leave the country.
The latest operation marks the final phase of Ghana’s evacuation exercise, according to a statement issued late Saturday by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The government has already evacuated 926 Ghanaian nationals from South Africa and has strongly condemned the deadly attacks targeting migrants in Africa’s most industrialised economy.
The foreign ministry said the special flights carrying the remaining evacuees would begin arriving on Sunday and continue through Monday.
It added that the operation represents the “final phase” of Ghana’s efforts to evacuate its citizens from South Africa.
President John Mahama has urged the African Union (AU) to place the issue of what he described as “xenophobic attacks” in South Africa on its agenda, accusing the South African government of not doing enough to prevent the violence.
According to figures released by various countries, more than 160,000 foreign nationals—mostly from other African countries—have left South Africa since May following the outbreak of anti-migrant protests and violence.
