Nigerian and South African lawmakers clashed during a session at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region Conference in Lilongwe, Malawi, over the controversial issue of xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa.

The dispute arose during discussions on how violence targeting foreign nationals should be officially described and addressed.

The conference, which brought together more than 300 legislators and officials from across Africa, focused on key issues including democracy, human rights and regional cooperation.

During the session, Nigerian representatives demanded that the recent attacks on foreigners in South Africa be explicitly described as **xenophobia**, arguing that avoiding the term could downplay or obscure targeted discrimination against non-South Africans.

South African representatives, however, strongly rejected the characterisation, insisting that discussions on the issue should place greater emphasis on unlawful migration and the enforcement of the country’s immigration laws.

The disagreement highlighted longstanding tensions between Nigeria and South Africa over the treatment of Nigerian and other African nationals living in South Africa, particularly amid recurring reports of attacks linked to alleged anti-foreigner sentiment.

The session ended with the two sides maintaining divergent positions on how the issue should be framed, underscoring the broader challenges facing regional cooperation on migration, human rights and the protection of foreign nationals.