https://ijsmpcr.com/index.php/ijsmpcr <p>The major aim of the<strong> International Journal of Social Science, Management, Peace and Conflict Research (IJSMPCR)</strong> is to publish scholarly works in social science, management, peace and conflict studies. The Journal is a reputable journal committed to publishing sound research output in the field of social, management, peace and conflict studies. It is a Multidisciplinary Journal that publishes manuscripts (Original Research articles, Review articles, Short communication, Case reports and Case Studies) on original work, either experimental or theoretical. IJSMPCR is an International Journal publishing Scientific Research Online. It is peer reviewed, highly indexed, open access, monthly published Journal.</p> <p> </p> testing en-US International Journal of Social Science, Management, Peace and Conflict Research (IJSMPCR) 2992-314X https://ijsmpcr.com/index.php/ijsmpcr/article/view/133 <p>This study repurposes well-established trade law mechanism for continental human rights-based <br>accountability, recognising that the economic harm caused by xenophobic violence to African nationals, <br>including destroyed businesses, forced displacement, disrupted supply chains, and suppressed cross-border <br>investment, is functionally equivalent in its trade-distorting effects to the economic emergencies for which <br>World Trade Organisation (WTO) safeguard mechanisms were originally designed. There is no gainsaying <br>that recurrent xenophobic violence in South Africa; 2008, 2015, 2019, and 2026 has evolved from episodic <br>unrest into a systematic political tool used to mobilise electoral support, deflect governance failures, and <br>scapegoat African foreign nationals. This study assesses the viability of an African Union (AU) framework <br>designed to render such violence strategically unprofitable through economic and diplomatic consequences. <br>It pursues two objectives; examine the conditions under which a member state’s failure to prevent xenophobic <br>violence can be construed as a material breach of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), <br>justifying temporary safeguard tariffs; and second, to investigate how an AU Accountability Caucus, <br>constituted through a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), can invoke hosting forfeiture <br>measures without awaiting full AU consensus. Using a qualitative, desk-based policy analysis of documented <br>violence (2008 - 2026), electoral patterns, AU legal instruments, and trade law precedents, the study <br>integrates deterrence theory with continental governance practice. The findings show that where four <br>cumulative conditions exist; electorally correlated violence, systematic law enforcement failure, an ignored <br>formal warning, and demonstrable economic harm to other African nationals, a material breach of AfCFTA <br>principles may be established, justifying temporary, proportional safeguard tariffs modelled on WTO <br>mechanisms. The study further finds that a legally binding Accountability Caucus can bypass AU consensus <br>paralysis and impose automatic diplomatic consequences, particularly hosting forfeiture, upon predefined <br>trigger events. The study recommends the adoption of a supplementary AfCFTA legal instrument recognising <br>xenophobic violence as a sanctionable trade breach and the formation of a binding AU Accountability <br>Caucus among willing states to ensure automatic diplomatic enforcement. Together, these measures <br>reposition the AU from reactive condemnation to credible continental deterrence.</p> Oluyemi Joshua IBILOYE Copyright (c) 2026 ijsmpcr 2026-07-19 2026-07-19 5 01 001 017