African lawyers condemn xenophobic attacks
PALU President Elijah C. Banda said this in a statement while reacting to recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.The attacks, according to PALU, also run contrary to the commitments that South Africa, and indeed all other AU Member States have made, including in the Constitutive Act of the AU, the African charter and its protocol.The […]
PALU President Elijah C. Banda said this in a statement while reacting to recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The attacks, according to PALU, also run contrary to the commitments that South Africa, and indeed all other AU Member States have made, including in the Constitutive Act of the AU, the African charter and its protocol.
The lawyers mentioned that careless utterances by persons in authority, and perceptions of lax or insufficient response by leaders and the security services of South Africa exacerbated the problem, and consequently led to more loss of lives, limbs or property than would have occurred.
This has “thus engendered a palpable sense of resentment across the continent and globally, and indeed led to threats or actual retaliatory attacks against innocent South Africans elsewhere”
As a way out, African lawyers wants the upcoming Summit of the African Union, to be held in South Africa, prioritize a discussion at Heads of State level, on the recent xenophobic attacks and the underlying sentiments, with a view to concluding an actionable statement on steps to be taken to guarantee non-recurrence and to fast track full implementation of the provisions of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.
They called for a special mechanisms of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to undertake an immediate joint mission to the Republic of South Africa.
“This should include, although by no means be limited to, the Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Barrister Emeka Obegolu, Vice- President PALU Western Africa is to join in the meeting of the executive Committee of PALU which takes place from April 26 – 30, in Kenya to hold the inaugural steering committee meeting of PALU.