Mozambique says 9 nationals killed in South Africa anti-immigrant attacks

Mozambique said Tuesday that nine of its nationals had been killed in violent xenophobic attacks targeting immigrants in South Africa.

In a statement, Mozambique's Information Office said the government had begun diplomatic procedures to repatriate the bodies of six victims of the attacks, which erupted in Mossel Bay, Western Cape province, before spreading to nearby areas.

More than 700 Mozambican citizens have been repatriated from the Western Cape following a surge in xenophobic violence that also left hundreds displaced, the statement added.

Some 169 citizens, including 16 minors, were repatriated in the last 24 hours as part of ongoing assistance efforts coordinated by Mozambique's diplomatic and consular missions in South Africa, with additional groups arriving as evacuation operations intensified.

Around 800 Mozambican nationals were reported to have been affected by the Mossel Bay violence, which erupted at the end of May.