Army troops are going to be deployed in major cities across South Africa to prevent attacks against the immigrants in what could be seen as the last resort to rein in the recent spate of xenophobic violence which has claimed several lives.

South African defense minister announced on Tuesday that Army soldiers will be stationed across the country to quell the rising wave of xenophobic attacks on immigrants.

“We come in as the last resort -- the Army will serve as a deterrent,” Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told reporters, adding, “Now we are deploying because there is an emergency.”

The senior commander, however, declined to give details on the number of the troops and the cities where they will be deployed.

Several weeks of violence in major cities like Johannesburg and Durban have seen at least seven people killed, with the police failing to control the violent mobs who keep attacking foreigners, mostly from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique. More than 300 people have been arrested by the police, most of them unemployed citizens who keep lamenting the chronic job shortage in their country.

The government has warned that it will use its utmost power to quell the bloody conflicts. However, the decision to deploy the Army was made after a relative calm on the streets.

Mapisa-Nqakula defended the decision while also supporting the efforts made by the police over the past weeks.

“There are people who will be critical, but those who are vulnerable will appreciate this decision,” she said, adding, “We are not here to take over the work of the police. We are simply here to give support to what the police are trying to do in their efforts to prevent a continuation of what we have seen."

The unrest has strained South Africa’s relations with regional governments as many migrants have decided to leave, creating worries in their home countries. President Jacob Zuma called off a state visit to Indonesia on Saturday to deal with the growing unrest, pleading with foreigners to remain in South Africa.

The latest violence has revived memories of the xenophobic bloodshed in 2008, when 62 people were killed in Johannesburg's townships.