By Associated News

LAGOS: When the flight carrying hundreds of Nigerians fleeing South Africa landed in Lagos last week, the first feeling of passenger Iniebong James was one of relief. Then came worry.

Nearly two weeks after his return to his homeland, James, 52, is trying to settle back into the life he left 10 years ago when he packed his suitcases and headed for South Africa on a six-month visitor’s visa. He overstayed his visa and, despite lacking permission to stay, built a life as a car mechanic in the country’s Eastern Cape Province.

He was coping until he was attacked by anti-immigrant protesters in May, leaving him with a head wound, he told The Associated Press.

The attack on James came in the midst of a sharp rise in anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa in recent months, when there have been marches calling for immigrants in the country illegally to leave and reports of violence against some foreign nationals.

Hundreds of migrants from Nigeria and several other African countries have been repatriated from South Africa recently by their governments, citing threats of violence against them and a growing sense of tension.

South Africa has for years attracted foreign nationals from across Africa, including many from Nigeria, because of its relative wealth and opportunity. But outbursts of xenophobic violence against foreigners also have accompanied that sporadically.

South Africans sometimes blame foreigners for high levels of unemployment and poverty, putting a strain on public services and for being involved in crime.

Before moving to South Africa, James worked as a truck driver for a haulage company in Lagos, but the company closed in 2016 when Nigeria’s economy entered its first recession in two decades. Unemployment worried him, but it was the dayslong power outages that pushed him to finally leave.

To survive with an expired visa in South Africa, James said he had to bribe community police officers 200 rands ($12.14) a week to operate his shop. Twice, he paid immigration officers when he had been arrested. The AP could not verify this claim.