The African Civil Society Reference Group Inc. (ACSRG Inc.) has issued a strong condemnation of the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa, describing the violence as a grave violation of human rights and a betrayal of African unity.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Chicago-based non-profit expressed alarm over what it called the “resurgence of a troubling pattern” of xenophobic violence targeting migrants and refugees, particularly those from other African nations. The organization warned that foreign nationals have increasingly become scapegoats for South Africa’s socio-economic challenges, facing harassment, displacement, and even fatal assaults.
ACSRG Inc. emphasized that such attacks undermine the spirit of solidarity that once supported South Africa during its liberation struggle, contradicting the values of ubuntu and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The group urged the South African government to take decisive action by protecting all residents regardless of nationality, prosecuting perpetrators, and fully implementing its National Action Plan against Racism and Xenophobia. It also called on the African Union to treat xenophobia as a continental crisis and coordinate stronger preventive measures.
“Unchecked xenophobic violence threatens regional stability, weakens integration efforts, and risks normalizing anti-immigrant sentiment across Africa,” the statement warned, highlighting humanitarian consequences such as exclusion from healthcare, housing, and employment for migrants and refugees.
John Ede, Director of ACSRG Inc., reaffirmed the organization’s solidarity with victims and its commitment to promoting dignity, equality, and unity across the continent. “Silence is complicity; action is imperative,” the statement read. “We celebrate those working relentlessly to restore hope, dignity, and prosperity. Let us continue to amplify voices, advance equity, and create a world where every Human of African Descent can live free from harm, fear, and injustice.”
