A former Ghana High Commissioner to South Africa, Charles Owiredu, has cautioned against repeating past approaches in responding to the latest wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, April 25, Mr Owiredu said previous interventions, including high-level meetings with South African authorities and security agencies, had yielded limited long-term impact.

He noted that although key South African figures had consistently condemned such acts, the violence continues to recur, often on an annual basis.

In light of this, he argued that replicating earlier strategies may not be effective in addressing the current situation.

"I think that we shouldn't be repeating what we did in the past, and didn't see any breakthrough. I speak to you as somebody who has some level of policy experience and diplomatic engagement with my previous jobs as a deputy foreign minister and later the high commissioner to South Africa," he said.

Mr Owiredu instead proposed a broader, coordinated response, suggesting that engagement involving representatives from the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union would be crucial in finding a more sustainable solution.

"What the High Commissioner needs to do now is to involve the other ECOWAS Ambassadors and then get the AU. Because this is not only peculiar to Ghana. What is happening is not only directed at Ghanaians; all other countries are faced with this."

His comments come amid renewed concerns over the safety of foreign nationals following recent attacks in parts of South Africa.

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Xenophobia: Former Ghana High Commissioner to South Africa calls for better approach to this issue

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