Trump Announces US Boycott of G20 Summit in South Africa Over Alleged White Farmer Abuses

The United States has announced that it will boycott the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa, citing concerns over alleged human rights abuses against white farmers. According to a statement posted on his social media platform Truth Social, President Donald Trump said it was a "total disgrace" that the G20 meeting would be held in South Africa, where he claimed Afrikaners were being killed and their land and farms were being illegally confiscated. The decision to boycott the summit was made despite the fact that none of South Africa's major political parties, including those representing the Afrikaner community, have made claims of genocide in the country. The South African foreign ministry described the US decision as "regrettable" and expressed disappointment that the US would not be attending the summit. In his statement, Trump wrote, "No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue." He had earlier suggested that South Africa should not be part of the G20 at all, and that he would send Vice President JD Vance to the summit in his place. The G20 summit is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg later this month, bringing together leaders from the world's largest economies. The decision to hold the summit in South Africa was made in 2022, when the country was scheduled to take over the G20 presidency from Indonesia. The issue of land reform and farm ownership has been a contentious one in South Africa, with many black South Africans calling for the return of land that was taken from them during the apartheid era. However, the government has sought to address these concerns through a process of land expropriation without compensation, which has been met with resistance from some white farmers. The US decision to boycott the summit has been met with criticism from some quarters, with some arguing that it is an overreaction to a complex issue. Others have pointed out that the US has a history of criticizing human rights abuses in other countries, but has been slow to address similar issues at home. The South African government has sought to downplay the US decision, with Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor saying that the country was "not surprised" by the US decision. "We have always said that we are open to engagement with the US, but we will not be dictated to on how to address our own internal issues," she said. The G20 summit is expected to go ahead as planned, with leaders from around the world set to attend. However, the US decision to boycott the summit is likely to cast a shadow over the proceedings, and may have implications for US-South Africa relations in the long term.