U.S. Boycotts G20 Summit, Bars South Africa from 2026 Over Alleged Human Rights Abuses

By Emmanuel Kwada 

In a dramatic escalation of diplomatic tensions, the United States, under President Donald Trump, has boycotted the ongoing G20 summit in Johannesburg and announced that South Africa will be excluded from the 2026 G20 summit to be held in Miami, Florida.

The decision, detailed in a fiery post on X at 16:10 UTC today, cites alleged “horrific human rights abuses” against white Afrikaner farmers and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers, whom Trump claims are being “killed” and having their farms “randomly taken.”

President Trump’s statement alleges that the South African government has failed to address what he describes as a genocide targeting white populations. He specifically criticized the refusal of South African authorities to hand over the G20 presidency to a U.S. embassy representative at the summit’s closing ceremony, a claim partially contradicted by diplomatic sources.

A senior U.S. embassy official reportedly received the presidency documents, though tensions persisted due to the U.S. absence from the summit.

The post also takes aim at mainstream media, particularly the New York Times, accusing them of ignoring the issue. Trump announced an immediate halt to all U.S. payments and subsidies to South Africa, which amount to approximately $700 million annually in health, education, and development assistance, according to data from the U.S. Foreign Assistance program.

The U.S. decision echoes Trump’s 2018 directive to investigate land seizures and killings of white farmers in South Africa, following comments by then-Agriculture Minister AfriForum.

A 2019 U.S. embassy review, however, found no evidence of a systematic genocide, noting that farm murders averaging 50-60 annually from 2015-2024 per AgriSA data occur within a broader context of high crime rates affecting all South Africans, with over 27,000 total murders reported in 2024 alone by the South African Police Service.

South Africa, which assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, 2024, and will hold it until November 30, 2025, has faced growing friction with the U.S. under Trump’s administration. The move to exclude South Africa from the 2026 summit marks an unprecedented break from G20 precedent, where no member has been formally barred.

South African officials have yet to issue an official response, but the government’s earlier stance on the G20 focusing on critical minerals and climate financebsuggests it may frame the U.S. action as politically motivated.

Relations between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have deteriorated in recent months, with the U.S. skipping the summit over these human rights allegations.

The exclusion of South Africa and the suspension of aid could strain bilateral relations further, impacting trade and development projects. Analysts are divided on the move’s international reception, with some viewing it as a bold stance on human rights and others as a politicized overreach. The 2026 G20 summit in Miami, hosted at Trump’s Doral resort, now looms as a focal point for global reactions.