Ghana remains prepared to evacuate additional citizens from South Africa should the security situation deteriorate further, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said.
According to the minister who is also the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Ghana’s mission in Pretoria had submitted a report describing the current environment as “quite a dire situation” amid persistent anti-immigrant sentiment.
He linked the developments in part to a recent ruling by South Africa’s apex court concerning asylum seekers.
Ablakwa emphasised that the Ministry’s Consular and Humanitarian Affairs Bureau is closely monitoring the welfare of Ghanaians who may require assistance.
“The Consular and Humanitarian Affairs Bureau remains very active. We are assessing the situation in South Africa and all around Libya, Cambodia, all over the world, and we know Ghanaians love to travel and Ghanaians are all over the world.
“So the bureau and all our 72 missions across the world are very active and making sure that within their jurisdiction and where they have concurrent accreditation, they are keeping an eye on Ghanaians in those jurisdictions. And if we have to step in, intervene, and bring our nationals back home to safety, we will do that swiftly,” he stated.
The Minister made it clear that previous evacuations do not close the door on future action.
“It does not mean that if we have another wave, a deterioration of the situation and there are Ghanaians who need assistance, it does not mean that the door is shut and that we will not move in. We will indeed,” he affirmed.
Ablakwa revealed that more than 6,300 Ghanaians have been evacuated from distress situations worldwide since last year, including operations involving Libya, Myanmar and Cambodia. Of that total, 1,964 citizens were brought home from South Africa during the most recent large-scale exercise,” he said.
On Ghana’s petition to the African Union regarding attacks on foreign nationals, the Minister said the continental body had responded and indicated that the matter would be placed on the agenda of its next summit in January 2027.
The assurance comes against the backdrop of renewed anti-immigrant protests that turned violent in parts of Johannesburg’s Soweto township and Durban earlier in October. Ghana completed its earlier evacuation exercise in September after months of coordinated efforts involving the High Commission in Pretoria and relevant South African authorities.
Ablakwa reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting the safety and welfare of Ghanaians wherever they may be, underscoring the proactive posture of the country’s diplomatic network.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
