President John Dramani Mahama says Ghana’s diplomatic relations with South Africa remain strong despite recent xenophobic attacks that have affected Ghanaian nationals, prompting some voluntary evacuations.

Speaking at Chatham House in London, he described the incidents as “unfortunate” and expressed concern about rising hostility toward foreign African nationals, stressing that there is no diplomatic breakdown between the two countries.

“We do not have any breach in our diplomatic relations,” he said, adding that such attacks were not new in South Africa.

He noted that while earlier incidents mainly affected nationals from neighbouring countries, “lately, Ghanaians have gotten involved… This is the first time we’ve really had Ghanaians getting part of the direction of attacks.”

Mahama said the violence and insecurity forced government to evacuate affected citizens, with many Ghanaians in small businesses and skilled trades impacted. He also cited reports of restrictions on foreigners accessing services during the unrest, including claims that “if you were not South African, you were asked to leave the hospital.”

He said about 200 Ghanaians sought refuge at the High Commission in Pretoria at the peak of the crisis and confirmed that evacuation flights had begun.

“We asked, do you want to stay or you want to leave? And many of them said they feel threatened, so they want to leave,” he said.