Washington has strongly condemned the detention of American officials in South Africa, escalating tensions between the two nations. The US State Department alleges the officials were providing support to the Afrikaner minority, a group President Trump has designated for refugee status in the United States.
In a statement released Thursday, the State Department asserted, “South Africa’s disclosure of our officials’ passport information is unacceptable.” It called on the South African government to “take immediate action to address this situation and hold those responsible accountable.”
The dispute follows the reported detention and subsequent deportation of seven Kenyan nationals hired by the US government to assist Afrikaners seeking relocation to the United States. South African authorities claimed the Kenyans were using tourist visas that did not permit them to work in the country.
The State Department further stated that American citizens were briefly detained and condemned the action “in the strongest terms.” The department also criticized the public release of the officials’ passport information, labeling such “doxing” an unacceptable form of harassment that endangers individuals.
The State Department has not provided further details regarding the alleged incident. South Africa previously stated that no US officials were arrested in the raid, which they claim did not occur at a diplomatic site.
Relations between the two countries have been strained following President Trump’s decision to offer refugee status to Afrikaners, citing claims of persecution. The Afrikaner organization, which is collaborating with the US to facilitate the resettlement of South African whites, issued an urgent statement claiming that the US immigration office location was raided by South African officials.
This incident comes amidst ongoing debate surrounding claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa. CNN conducted an investigation into these allegations and found no evidence to support them.
Trump has cited alleged reports of genocide as justification for his administration’s decision to resettle white South Africans in the United States.
