Thousands of white crosses bearing the names of people killed in farm attacks in South Africa have been buried on the National Mall in Washington, DC, bringing the country's bitter controversy over violence against farmers and Afrikaners directly to the US capital.

The White Cross Project, organized by the South African think tank Lex Libertas, installed 3,000 crosses following a conference at the National Press Club in Washington.

Organizers say each cross represents a victim of farm murder in South Africa since the early 1990s.

Lex Liberts CEO Ernest Roots said thousands have visited the temporary memorial, including victims and their families, members of the public, investigators and representatives from the White House, State Department and other government agencies. Italian influencer and campaigner Lorenzo Cacciolupi, who traveled to South Africa earlier this year, said he had personally spoken to survivors of farm attacks and families who had lost relatives.

"I talked to survivors of the attack on this farm. I talked to people who lost their family, their family members," Cachalopi said.