Two citizens of Ghana have filed a petition with the International Criminal Court, asking the global tribunal to investigate what they describe as years of recurring xenophobic violence against foreign nationals living in South Africa.
The petition was filed with the ICC prosecutor by former Ghanaian government spokesperson Palgrave Boakye-Danquah and security analyst Emmanuel Kotin. The two men argue that repeated attacks on migrants in South Africa could constitute crimes against humanity and that those responsible have not been held accountable.
“We are simply asking the ICC to investigate these allegations,” Kotin told The Associated Press on Thursday. He noted that the effort was a private initiative and does not have the backing of Ghana’s government.
South Africa has seen periodic waves of anti-migrant violence spanning nearly two decades. Human rights organizations have repeatedly called on South African authorities to do more to stop the attacks and bring perpetrators to justice.
In recent months, anti-immigrant demonstrators blamed foreign nationals for high unemployment rates, crime, and strain on public services. The unrest prompted Nigeria, Ghana, and Malawi to bring their citizens home and call in South African diplomats for formal meetings.
The petition, submitted to the ICC prosecutor on July 15, alleges that widespread and systematic attacks on African migrants took place between 2015 and 2026. Those alleged attacks include killings, assaults, looting, and the forced displacement of people. The petition further contends that South African authorities failed to adequately prevent the violence or prosecute those who carried it out.
A spokesperson for the South African government had not responded to a request for comment at the time of this report.
The ICC confirmed to the Associated Press that it had received the communication after the petitioners made it public. Under the Rome Statute — the treaty that governs the court — individuals and organizations are permitted to submit information about alleged crimes to the prosecutor, who then evaluates whether there is sufficient basis to move forward.
The filing of such a communication does not automatically result in a formal investigation. The court receives a large volume of these submissions, and only a small fraction ever advance to later stages of the process.
