Overview

• The United States has declared South Africa's ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, persona non grata, requiring him to leave the country.
• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited Rasool's alleged role in stoking racial tensions and his criticism of President Donald Trump as reasons for the expulsion.
• The diplomatic rift centers on South Africa's land reform law, which allows expropriation of land without compensation in certain cases to address historical inequities from the apartheid era.
• President Trump has criticized the law as discriminatory against white farmers and has offered expedited U.S. citizenship to South African farmers seeking refuge.
• U.S. foreign aid to South Africa, totaling $323 million in 2024, has been frozen since February as part of the ongoing dispute.