President John Mahama has criticised South Africa’s response to recent xenophobic attacks.

According to him, the country's authorities appeared to do “little” to protect displaced foreigners.

This included nearly 200 Ghanaians who sought refuge in Ghana’s embassy.

Speaking at Chatham House in London, President Mahama detailed how Ghana was forced to intervene after its citizens came under attack, particularly in Durban and other areas.

"It didn’t look like the South African authorities were doing anything to try to quell what was happening and also to provide protection to those who had been displaced," Mr Mahama said on Monday.

He described a toxic atmosphere in which foreigners were even targeted in hospitals.

“There were even forays into health institutions and if you were not South African you were asked to leave the hospital even if you were ill,” he said.

President Mahama said many Ghanaians rushed to the embassy for safety, and at one point nearly 200 citizens were sheltering there.

With no apparent intervention from local authorities, Ghana organised its own evacuation.

“We had no option but to evacuate our citizens,” he said, confirming that one evacuation flight had already taken place and two more would follow for those who wish to leave voluntarily.

President Mahama further described the situation as “unfortunate” and called for empathy and sympathy for South Africa.

He urged South Africa to address the root causes of the violence rather than leave foreign nationals unprotected.