Soldiers were deployed in Johannesburg this week to aid
police in operations against hostels in Johannesburg's Alexandra township
housing South African men who are accused of targeting migrants from Zimbabwe,
Malawi, Mozambique and other African countries.Many immigrants have been forced to flee their homes and abandon their small shops as marauding mobs hunted down foreigners at night.
Over 5,000 people from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique,
Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi still seek refuge in displacement
camps, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) said in a statement.He said, Injured Malawian and Zimbabwean men told medics that they are too afraid to openly seek medical treatment for their wounds and fractures for fear of further attack.
In central Johannesburg several thousand demonstrators marched
to protest against a spate of deadly
attacks on immigrants.Crowds sang songs denouncing xenophobia and carried banners that read "We are all Africans" on Thursday.
The marchers passed through neighbourhoods that are home to many immigrants, a large number of whom come from other African countries. Migrant workers crowded balconies, shouting their support.
Source: Al Jazeera
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