African Ambassadors Boycott South Africa’s Africa Day Over Migrant Protests

Envoys led by Central African Republic’s Ambassador André Nzapayeké skipped the Moruleng Stadium gathering, pointing to protests in cities like Pretoria and Johannesburg that demand deportations of undocumented migrants from Somalia, Pakistan, Nigeria and elsewhere.

Demonstrators blame foreigners for job losses and crime in a country with 33% unemployment, while groups like Operation Dudula have blockaded embassies and raided shops, causing closures and deaths. South Africa’s government calls the boycott isolated and frames the marches as frustration over illegal immigration, but diplomats warn of isolation as the nation marks the African Union’s founding.