America's double standards on genocide is a concern for Africa

US President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 6, 2025. [AFP]

Is a genocide unfolding in South Africa? According to US President Donald Trump, white South Africans are fleeing what he terms a genocidal threat. This assertion formed the basis of a controversial policy shift that has enabled expedited refugee resettlement to the US for white South African farmers.

Genocide, under international law and the Genocide Convention of 1948, refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. The ongoing crisis in Sudan's West Darfur region constitutes a textbook case of genocide. In the past year, nearly 20,000 members of the Masalit community, an ethnically African group, have been targeted and killed by the RSF paramilitary group. The violence, motivated by racial and ethnic animosity, has forced hundreds of thousands to flee.