South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa called on Monday for African countries to work together to manage migration, as his government faces mounting pressure over attacks on foreign nationals.
Ramaphosa's appeal to the Pan-African Parliament follows weeks of anti-migrant protests in South Africa, where anti and fringe groups have blamed undocumented migrants from elsewhere in Africa for crime, unemployment and strain on public services.
He warned that unmanaged cross-border movement could undermine security and social order, and said no country could address the challenge alone.
"As African countries, we have to acknowledge and address the conditions that drive migration in the first place," Ramaphosa told a session of the parliament, which is the legislative body of the African Union.
More than 160,000 foreigners leave South Africa
"We need to work together to address issues like conflict, instability, governance failures, poverty and social discord."
Demonstrations that began last year over undocumented migrants' access to public health facilities intensified this year as anti-migrant groups demanded that they leave the country by June 30.
More than 160,000 foreign nationals have departed South Africa over the past two months, according to an AFP tally based on figures from repatriating governments, in one of the country's largest recent migrant exoduses.
At least four migrants have been killed in the unrest, although some foreign governments say the death toll is higher.
'Sad and abhorrent'
The attacks were "sad and abhorrent", Ramaphosa said, adding that "we in South Africa deeply regret and mourn" the lives lost.
"We've taken a firm stand against hatred for people from other countries, xenophobia or Afrophobia," Ramaphosa said.
Ghana, which has been an outspoken critic of the fatal attacks, has called an African Union debate on the anti-migrant unrest.
Two of its citizens have also petitioned the International Criminal Court to investigate "repeated xenophobic attacks", a move Pretoria has dismissed as "opportunistic."
