The South Africa presidency has said that France withdrew its invitation for the country to attend the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit following pressure from the United States.
Gatekeepers News reports that the G7, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the US, is scheduled to meet in Évian-les-Bains in southeastern France from June 15 to 17.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for the South African presidency, said: “The invitation was withdrawn by the French government due to sustained pressure from the US. That’s the communication we received from the French government.”
Earlier, an official in Emmanuel Macron’s office said South Africa was not invited because Kenya, where Macron plans to travel in April, is attending in its place. Other invited countries include India, South Korea, and Brazil.
Kenya’s principal secretary for foreign affairs said the East African nation, alongside African Union Chairperson Mahmoud Youssouf, was invited to “articulate Africa’s perspective.”
The incident follows months of tension between South Africa and former US President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump had previously accused South Africa of allowing a “white genocide” during a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, a claim rejected by Ramaphosa.
Last November, Trump boycotted the G20 summit in Johannesburg, where Macron extended an invitation to Ramaphosa to participate in the G7.
