IRD – U participates in Policy Dialogue on Promoting Migration and Combatting Xenophobia

The 25th session of the African Union Summit will be held in South Africa on 07-15 June 2015. With the backdrop of the recent xenophobic attacks and responses (outcry) from countries across the continent and globally, including regional mechanisms, Amnesty International and partners will host a high-level parallel event looking into the history of xenophobic attacks in South Africa and the measures that have been put in place to address them. 

This panel discussion is crucial in light of South Africa’s long history of xenophobic attacks against asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. The most widely-known attacks being those in 2008 which left 62 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. However, the violence has continued over the years with little or no action from the government. The recent incidents that started in Isipingo (Durban) in March 2015 have resulted in the deaths of seven people, three of whom are reported to be South African nationals, and the displacement of many others. 

This high-level parallel event, in the form of a panel discussion, will highlight the role that migration has played in the history of South Africa and how South Africa is intricately linked to this history of migration. It will also critically assess South Africa’s responses to ‘managing migration’ and further highlight the urgent need for the government of South Africa to put in place lasting and effective measures to combat xenophobia. The panel will also discuss the role of regional mechanisms in dealing with xenophobia in South Africa and other countries on the continent. 

Initioative for Rural Development - Uganda (IRD - U) participation is a result of a series of events including writing an Open letter to the African Union on the resurgence of xenophobic violence in South Africa presented To HE Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of theAfrican Union on the occasionof the AU Summit in Sandton, Johannesburg, June 2015