US to boycott G20 in South Africa over white farmer ‘abuses’

Donald Trump said the United States will not attend the G20 summit in South Africa because of widely denied allegations that white people are being persecuted in the country.

The US president said it was “an absolute disgrace” for South Africa to host a meeting of leaders from the world’s largest economies in Johannesburg later this month.

South Africa’s foreign ministry described the White House’s decision as “regrettable”.

None of the political parties in South Africa, including those representing Afrikaners and the white community in general, have claimed that there was genocide in South Africa.

Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social: “It is a disgrace that the G20 is being held in South Africa.

“Africans (people descended from Dutch settlers, as well as French and German immigrants) are being killed and massacred, and their lands and farms are being illegally seized,” he wrote.

“As long as these human rights violations continue, no U.S. government official will be able to participate.”

Trump previously said South Africa should not be in the G20and said he would send his vice president, J.D. Vance, rather than attend in person.

But now the White House says no US officials will go.

Each year, a different member country hosts the G20 and determines the agenda of the summit; After South Africa, it will be the USA’s turn.

South Africa’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “The South African government would like to state, for the record, that it is ahistorical to describe Afrikaners as an exclusively white group.

“Additionally, the claim that this community faces persecution is not supported by the facts.”

Since returning to office in January, Trump has repeatedly accused South Africa of discriminating against its white minority. He faced off against his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa In the Oval Office.

The Trump administration stated that there was a “genocide” in South Africa and granted refugee status to the Afrikaners. Last week, the White House announced plans to reduce refugee admissions to a record low and give priority to white South Africans.

The South African government said claims of white genocide were “generally discredited and unsupported by reliable evidence” and pointed out there was “limited acceptance” of the proposal by South Africans.

allegations dismissed as “clearly fictitious” by a South African court in February.

The G20 was founded in 1999 following the Asian financial crisis. The countries involved own more than 85% of the world’s wealth, and its aim was to restore economic stability.

The first leaders’ summit was held in 2008 to promote international cooperation in response to that year’s global financial turmoil.

Leaders now meet annually, along with representatives of the European Union and African Union, to talk about the issues facing world economies and countries.