Mozambique says five nationals died in weekend violence in Mossel Bay; South African police confirm two deaths as anti-immigration protests sweep the country.
12:52 PM
Mozambique said five of its nationals were killed in "xenophobic attacks" in South Africa over the weekend, marking the first deaths officially linked to country-wide protests against undocumented immigration.
The Mozambican government press office said in a statement received Tuesday that about 800 Mozambicans were caught up in violence that broke out in the southern coastal city of Mossel Bay on Friday. According to the government statement, seven Mozambican citizens died in total: five as a direct consequence of the xenophobic attacks and two in a traffic accident while traveling in a private vehicle heading toward Mozambique.
South African police, however, confirmed only that two Mozambicans had died in the violence in Mossel Bay. The men were aged 27 and 43 and were killed on Saturday, authorities said. Police said they were investigating the killings but did not provide a motive. A South African teenager was also killed in the violence, police said, with reports that dozens of shacks were torched, some while people were inside them.
The deaths occur amid a wave of anti-migrant protests sweeping South Africa. Tensions have been rising in recent weeks following demonstrations calling for tougher action against illegal migration. Some African nations have said the protests have resulted in violence against their citizens, which South African authorities have not confirmed.
Mozambique said efforts were under way Tuesday to repatriate hundreds of its citizens affected by the violence. The rise in anti-immigrant tensions in South Africa has been building for months, with protests documented in multiple cities including Durban and Cape Town in May.
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