By Aaron Hammond 
Hey people, let’s talk about some serious African politics brewing right now. If you’ve been following the news, you know Ghana has been pushing hard to get the African Union (AU) to discuss the recent attacks on African migrants in South Africa. Well, South Africa just hit the brakes on that plan.
Here’s the breakdown in simple terms.
What Exactly Happened at the AU?
During an AU Executive Council meeting in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, Ghana brought up a major concern. They wanted the upcoming AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in October to focus specifically on the xenophobic violence happening in South Africa.
But South Africa, represented by their Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, wasn’t having it. He pushed back against Ghana’s proposal, and ultimately, the Executive Council turned Ghana’s request down.
South Africa’s Defense: Look at the Bigger Picture
Why did South Africa block it? Lamola argued that the AU shouldn’t just point fingers at South Africa. Instead of making it all about them, he said the continent needs a much bigger conversation about why people are moving around so much in the first place.
South Africa has been pushing for a continent-wide migration summit. They want to discuss the “push-pull factors”—basically, the poor economic and political conditions in other countries that force people to leave their homes and head to places like South Africa seeking a better life. They argue they are dealing with the pressure of hosting around 3 million migrants.
Ghana is Not Backing Down
Ghana has been one of the loudest voices condemning these anti-immigrant protests and attacks. They’ve already brought hundreds of their citizens back home from South Africa and just announced plans to evacuate about 1,000 more.
Even though this specific proposal was blocked, the issue isn’t dead. Just last week, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama said he got a commitment to have these attacks discussed at the next big AU Summit in February 2027.
What’s Next for the Continent?
Right now, it’s unclear when exactly the AU will hold this massive debate on migration. But one thing is for sure—the tension is high, and this conversation is long overdue. South Africa wants to talk about the root causes of migration, while Ghana demands accountability for the safety of Africans living abroad.
We will keep an eye on this space and see how African leaders navigate this tricky situation!
Read More: GRIDCo Probes Major Wednesday Power Outage