Much is talked about the issue of Boer and Whites in general in South Africa, and about the ongoing tensions between Washington and Pretoria over the matter. Most analyses however seem to miss the main political point, which should include not only the merit of US President Donald Trump’s allegations (and context), but also his possible motivations.

On May 21, Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office with videos and printed articles alleging “white genocide,” focusing on violence against Boer farmers in the country. Trump dimmed the lights to play footage, including clips of “Kill the Boer” chants, claiming it showed persecution. This surprised many and clearly embarrassed Ramaphosa.

While racial segregation by law ended in the United States primarily with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the South African Apartheid only ended in 1994. While the White-ruled racist regime of Apartheid is very well known, most people in the West had never heard of “Boers” until very recently.

The Boers, White descendants of Dutch, German, and French settlers, arrived in South Africa in the 17th-18th centuries. Speaking Afrikaans and known for their Calvinist faith, they established farming communities and formed the backbone of the Afrikaner population. During the 19th-century Great Trek, they founded the Boer Republics, fighting the British in the Anglo-Boer Wars (1880-1881, 1899-1902), largely shaping South African history.

A little known fact is that the British established some of the first modern concentration camps in human........

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