Nigeria, May 9 -- South Africa has pushed back against Ghana's request for a debate at the upcoming African Union summit on xenophobic attacks against African nationals, saying it already acted against recent xenophobic violence.

In a statement issued on Friday, the country's Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation described Ghana's move to elevate the matter to the African Union as "regrettable," while insisting it remained open to diplomatic engagement and dialogue.

This comes amid diplomatic tension between South Africa and other African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria.

On Thursday, Ghana's government wrote to the African Union requesting that the attacks on African migrants in South Africa be discussed at the AU ...