Diplomatic experts urge Africa to unite against rising Afrophobia
The experts said African countries should resist retaliatory anti-South African sentiments and instead engage Pretoria and the African Union to address the causes of xenophobic violence while strengthening economic integration across the continent.
Daniel Echun, board chairman of the Confederation of Ugandans in South Africa, during a public dialogue on the implications for the future of Pan-Africanism on August 27, 2026. (Photo by Mary Kansiime)
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Ugandan foreign policy experts and young leaders have called for stronger African unity and dialogue to address the rising cases of Afrophobia in South Africa, warning that attacks against African immigrants threaten the Pan-Africanism agenda.
The experts said African countries should resist retaliatory anti-South African sentiments and instead engage Pretoria and the African Union to address the causes of xenophobic violence while strengthening economic integration across the continent.
The call was made on Thursday at Fairway Hotel in Kampala during a public dialogue on “Understanding the Rise of the Current Afrophobia Sentiment in South Africa: Implications for the Future of Pan-Africanism.”
The dialogue was hosted by the Uganda Council on Foreign Relations and brought together diplomats, academics, students and representatives of youth organisations.
David Mafabi, the Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs in charge of Special Duties and the main presenter, said Africans must be taught from an early age that they are one people despite the borders separating them.
He said the attacks on African immigrants in South Africa were regrettable and urged the South African government to do more to protect African nationals living in the country.
“We must teach our young people that we are the same. Genetically, we are the same. We came from the same ancestors."
Mafabi said African countries should work towards removing barriers that prevent Africans from freely moving and trading across the continent.
He cited people from across East Africa having lived, studied and worked in Uganda for years.
Amb. James Mugume, a director at the Uganda Council on Foreign Relations and one of the panellists, said Afrophobia in South Africa had evolved over the years, with major outbreaks of violence reported since the late 2000s.
Mugume, a retired career diplomat who arrived in South Africa in 1994 to open Uganda’s High Commission, said the country was initially welcoming to Africans during the administrations of former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.
The situation changed significantly from around 2008, when dozens of people were killed in attacks, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Johannesburg, followed by further incidents in 2015 and 2019.
“What we see now in 2026 is clearly a marked rise in Afrophobia," said Mugume, also warning against allowing attacks in South Africa to trigger retaliatory anti-South African sentiments elsewhere on the continent.
“We should not fall in that trap,” he said, calling for engagement with the South African government to understand the underlying problems and develop solutions.
He also urged the AU to take Afrophobia seriously and incorporate African history into education systems to strengthen a shared continental identity.
He said deeper economic integration was critical to addressing unemployment and poverty, which are often cited as reasons for hostility towards immigrants.
Aphia Kampiire, a Guild Speaker at Victoria University and co-founder of Women in Development Africa, said young Africans have a critical role to play in confronting divisions that fuel hostility between Africans.
“As a young emerging African leader, I see Afrophobia as a rejection of our shared African humanity, and we must confront it by building an Africa where solidarity, dignity and mutual respect transcend borders,” she said.
“My personal outlook as an emerging leader in Women in Development is rooted in building an Africa where women are empowered to lead, participate and create solutions across borders while challenging the divisions that prevent Africans from seeing one another as partners in progress and partners in development,” she said.
Dr Kalu C. Kalumiya, honorary consul of Malawi in Uganda and a partner at Kampala Associated Advocates, said South Africa’s history of apartheid and political divisions had contributed to fractures within society.
Having lived in South Africa, Kalumiya said the violence was not entirely unexpected, although he criticised the authorities for not taking sufficiently strong action against perpetrators.
“The South African government has to take a more robust attitude towards elements that have given the country a bad name,” he said.
Kalumiya noted that while South Africa hosts foreigners from across the world, Africans have been disproportionately targeted by violent groups. He said government condemnation of the attacks was welcome but insufficient without stronger enforcement against those responsible.
The hybrid dialogue was attended physically and online by representatives from the National Youth Council, Victoria University, King Ceasor University and Uganda Christian University, among others.
The speakers called for continued dialogue between African governments, stronger continental institutions and greater economic integration to preserve the ideals of Pan-Africanism.