President Trump has accused South Africa of persecuting its white population.
The Washington Post reports that the White House National Security Council has directed US federal agencies to halt preparations for the G20 summit in Johannesburg, following President Trump’s accusations of “genocide” in South Africa.
According to the Post, citing sources familiar with the situation, this action aligns with Trump’s previous threat to boycott the November meeting due to what he describes as a campaign against South Africa’s white minority.
Pretoria has faced international scrutiny since enacting a law in January that permits the expropriation of land without compensation, a significant portion of which is currently owned by white farmers. South Africa maintains that the land reform aims to correct the land ownership imbalance stemming from the apartheid era.
“White farmers are being brutally killed and their land is being confiscated in South Africa and the newspapers and the media [don’t] even talk about it,” Trump stated on Monday. He criticized Pretoria’s recent land reform and suggested last month that he might not attend the annual G20 meeting.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has refuted the genocide accusations as a “completely false narrative.” He expressed his desire to meet with Trump to “discuss this matter further.”
On Monday, State Department officials welcomed approximately 50 members of South Africa’s white minority seeking asylum in the US. Trump has pledged to provide them with safe haven and expedite their naturalization.
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