French officials denied, on Thursday (26), that they had excluded South Africa from the guest list for the Group of 7 (G7) leaders’ summit—an informal political forum that brings together some of the world’s largest industrialized economies and democracies—in June due to pressure from Washington, stating that Kenya was invited in its place, given President Emmanuel Macron’s planned visit to the country later this year.
France had previously announced that it would welcome the leaders of India, South Korea, Brazil, and Kenya to the summit to be held in Évian-les-Bains.
South Africa, a regular guest at previous G7 summits, stated that the French embassy in Pretoria communicated the decision to the government about two weeks ago, noting that the United States had threatened to boycott the summit if the country were invited.
“We have accepted the decision and acknowledge the pressure they were under,” said Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
When asked during a briefing whether South Africa had been excluded at the request of the United States (U.S.), a French official stated that this was not the case and that France had decided to invite Kenya this time. Macron is expected to visit the country in May for a two-day Africa-France summit.
A White House official corroborated the French account, stating that the decision to invite Kenya resulted from discussions among G7 members, without directly commenting on South Africa’s exclusion. The group’s leaders frequently invite various countries to participate.
“France, as the host of the G7 in 2026, expressed in January its intention to invite an African nation to the June leaders’ summit in Évian. Following discussions among G7 members, it was collectively determined that Kenya should be invited. The United States welcomes the country’s participation,” the official stated.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized South Africa’s foreign policy and domestic racial laws during his second term, having boycotted last year’s G20 summit in Johannesburg and excluded the country from this year’s G20 meetings.
Source: Reuters
