The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has disclosed that 26 Ghanaian prisoners were among the first batch of 300 evacuees repatriated from South Africa on Wednesday, May 27, following recent xenophobic attacks in the country.
He said this after the evacuees arrived safely in Ghana as part of emergency efforts by the government to protect citizens affected by the unrest.
“Let me welcome the 26 Ghanaians, whom we negotiated with; they were in prison, they had been detained for visa violations. We negotiated with the South African government that since we are evacuating our nationals, we don’t want anybody behind prison and the South African government agreed with us,” he disclosed.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said the government was working closely with Ghana’s diplomatic mission in South Africa and local authorities to ensure the safety and evacuation of other affected nationals.
The repatriation follows renewed xenophobic violence in parts of South Africa, where foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, have reportedly faced attacks, intimidation, and destruction of property.
Ablakwa assured that the government would continue to monitor the situation and provide the necessary support to returning citizens.
