Africa-Press – Kenya. The anticipated first official visit by US Vice President JD Vance to Kenya now hangs in the balance following President Donald Trump’s announcement that no American officials will attend the upcoming G20 Summit in South Africa.
The trip, initially expected to take place at the end of November, was contingent on Vance attending the summit before travelling to Nairobi. However, following Washington’s withdrawal from the G20 meeting, the Kenya leg of the trip is now in doubt.
The G20 summit, which focuses on inclusive and sustainable development, climate change, energy transition and global financial reform, is scheduled to run from November 22 to 23 in Johannesburg.
According to Reuters, a senior White House official confirmed that Vance is not traveling to South Africa for the summit and has no other international trips planned in the near term.
This effectively casts doubt on the Vice President’s visit to Kenya, which had been seen as a major diplomatic engagement for the Trump administration in Africa.
“Vice President JD Vance, who was expected to attend the Group of 20 world leaders’ meeting in Johannesburg, is no longer going,” a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Vance’s expected trip to Kenya would have marked the first official visit by a senior US executive official since President Trump returned to power, signalling renewed efforts by Washington to strengthen bilateral ties with Nairobi.
On Friday, President Trump announced that the United States would boycott the G20 Summit, accusing South Africa of mistreating its white minority population.
“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, referencing what he called ‘human rights atrocities’ against white farmers.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused South Africa’s government of discriminating against white citizens through alleged land seizures and attacks on farms.
The South African government, however, has consistently denied the accusations, maintaining that its land reform policies are aimed at addressing historical injustices, not racial persecution.
“No US government official will attend as long as these human rights atrocities continue,” Trump said in his post, effectively confirming Washington’s absence from the global forum.
Vance’s proposed visit to Kenya was also expected to touch on strategic and economic interests in East Africa, particularly amid reports of competition between the United States and China over access to critical mineral resources.
At the center of this rivalry is Mrima Hill, a 390-acre forest located near the Kenyan coast and believed to hold significant deposits of rare earth minerals essential to modern technology and green energy industries.
The cancellation of the G20 trip leaves uncertainty over whether Vance will proceed with the Nairobi visit, which analysts viewed as an opportunity for the US to reaffirm its presence in Africa at a time when China continues to expand its economic influence on the continent.
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