The United States will send no delegates to the G20 Summit in Johannesburg next week (Nov 22-23), marking the first full boycott of the forum by a member state.President Donald Trump announced the decision on November 7, citing alleged “genocide” and land confiscation targeting South Africa’s white Afrikaner minority.
The move cancels Vice President JD Vance’s attendance and a planned Africa tour.South African officials and dozens of prominent Afrikaners reject the claims as baseless. An open letter signed by more than 40 Afrikaner academics, clergy, and professionals states: “We are not victims of racial persecution. We are South Africans building a shared future.”
Official data show 37 farm murders in 2024 out of 26,000 total homicides, mostly linked to robbery, not race.President Cyril Ramaphosa called the boycott “their loss” and urged the US to abandon “boycott politics.” Ireland and other nations have confirmed attendance.
The absence of the world’s largest economy casts a shadow over Africa’s first-ever G20 hosting, originally themed “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” Discussions on global debt, climate finance, and post-Gaza reconstruction will proceed without American input.Tensions have escalated since South Africa’s ICJ case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and Trump’s earlier confrontation with Ramaphosa over debunked farm-attack videos.
As the summit approaches, the US boycott is widely seen as isolating Washington more than punishing Pretoria, amplifying the Global South’s voice on the world stage.
Signpost News is an Imphal-based media house that focuses on delivering news and views from Northeast India and beyond.