Ghanaians' ICC petition over migrant attacks 'opportunistic', says South Africa

Lead

Two Ghanaian nationals have petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open a preliminary investigation into attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, arguing the violence could amount to crimes against humanity. The move has drawn a sharp rebuke from South Africa's foreign ministry, which dismissed the petition as "opportunistic."

The petition, submitted to the ICC on 15 July, alleges a "pattern of widespread and systematic attacks" against migrants in South Africa and accuses President Cyril Ramaphosa's government of failing to prevent or punish those crimes, as reported by AllAfrica, BBC – World, France 24 – English, and RFI – English.

Coverage Comparison

The four outlets covering this story largely agree on the core facts: the ICC petition filed by two Ghanaian nationals, the allegations of a pattern of attacks, and the call by Ghana's President John Mahama for the African Union to address the unrest. AllAfrica and RFI – English focused their headlines on the petition itself, while BBC – World highlighted South Africa's dismissal of it as "opportunistic." France 24 – English led with President Mahama's appeal to the African Union, describing the situation as "escalating."

The outlets also concur on the scale of the exodus: more than 160,000 foreign nationals have left South Africa over the past two months, according to an AFP tally based on figures from migrants' home governments, as cited by BBC – World. The South African government, however, says more than 53,000 foreign nationals have recently been deported or voluntarily repatriated, a figure reported by BBC – World.

All four sources note that several African migrants have been killed in the unrest, with others beaten and their homes and shops looted. The violence is attributed to anti-immigrant protests, with protesters blaming foreigners for crime, unemployment, and strained public services.

Key Claims

• Two Ghanaian nationals—Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a former Ghanaian government spokesperson on governance and security, and Emmanuel Kotin, a counter-terrorism and security analyst—filed the ICC petition on 15 July, as reported by AllAfrica, BBC – World, France 24 – English, and RFI – English.
• The petition alleges a "pattern of widespread and systematic attacks" against migrants and accuses the South African government of failing to prevent or punish those crimes, a claim carried by multiple sources.
• South Africa's foreign ministry says the petition falls short of the ICC's legal threshold and insists its own legal system can handle such matters, as reported by BBC – World.
• Ghana's President John Mahama reiterated his call for the African Union to address the "escalating" anti-immigrant violence, saying at an AU meeting in Accra that "it doesn't appear that the South African authorities are responding to the magnitude that one would expect them to," as reported by BBC – World and France 24 – English.
• More than 160,000 foreign nationals have left South Africa over the past two months, according to an AFP tally cited by BBC – World.

Perspectives

South African government: South Africa's foreign ministry dismissed the ICC petition as "opportunistic," arguing it falls short of the ICC's legal threshold and insisting the country's own legal system can handle such matters, as reported by BBC – World.

Ghanaian petitioners: The two Ghanaian nationals who filed the petition argue that the violence against migrants could amount to crimes against humanity, citing Article 7 of the ICC's Rome Statute. They said in a press release: "For years, African brothers and sisters have been killed, beaten and driven from their homes in South Africa," as reported by AllAfrica, France 24 – English, and RFI – English.

Ghanaian presidency: President John Mahama has called on the African Union to address the unrest, warning that "sweeping the matter under the carpet will not resolve the root causes," and saying he had secured a commitment to discuss the topic at the next AU summit, as reported by AllAfrica, France 24 – English, and RFI – English.

United Nations: The UN has warned against using migrants as scapegoats for South Africa's socioeconomic challenges, a statement reported by BBC – World.