US President Donald Trump has directed the military to get ready for operations in Nigeria against Islamist militant groups, accusing the government of failing to protect Christians.
He did not specify which killings he had in mind. Claims of a genocide against Nigerian Christians have circulated in some right-wing US circles in recent months, but monitoring groups say there is no evidence Christians are being targeted more than Muslims in a country split roughly evenly between the two faiths.
“Facts first, force last.”
Anonymous
An adviser to Nigeria’s president told the BBC that any action against jihadist groups should be coordinated. Daniel Bwala said Nigeria would welcome US help against the insurgents, while stressing the country’s sovereignty. He added that militants have killed people of all faiths, and not a single religious group.
President Bola Tinubu has said there is religious tolerance in Nigeria and that security challenges cut across faiths and regions.
What we know
An adviser to Nigeria’s president told the BBC that any action against jihadist groups should be coordinated. Daniel Bwala said Nigeria would welcome US help against the insurgents, while stressing the country’s sovereignty. He added that militants have killed people of all faiths, and not a single religious group.
President Bola Tinubu has said there is religious tolerance in Nigeria and that security challenges cut across faiths and regions.
What Happening
In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said he had instructed the US Department of War to prepare for “possible action.” He warned he could send the military into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” unless the government intervened and said US aid to what he called “the now disgraced country” would be cut. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians,” he wrote.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth replied, “Yes sir,” adding that the department was preparing. He said either the Nigerian government protects Christians or US forces would kill the Islamic terrorists behind “these horrible atrocities.”
More Read
Trump’s comments sparked alarm across Nigeria. Many users on social media urged the government to intensify efforts against Islamist groups to avoid any foreign troop deployment.
Bwala, who said he is a Christian pastor, told the BBC’s Newshour that Trump has a “unique way of communicating” and that Nigeria was not taking the remarks literally. He said he believed Trump wants to help Nigeria fight insecurity and expressed hope the two leaders would meet soon.
Facts
Trump also said he had designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over what he called an existential threat to its Christian population. He claimed “thousands” had been killed, without offering evidence. The US State Department uses that label for countries involved in severe violations of religious freedom and it can trigger sanctions.
Following Trump’s statement, Tinubu said his government would work with the US and international partners to protect communities of all faiths. “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” he said.
Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have devastated parts of north-eastern Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands. Most of the victims have been Muslims, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. In central states, clashes between mostly Muslim herders and farming communities, often Christian, have also claimed many lives. Rights groups say atrocities have been committed by both sides and there is no evidence Christians are being disproportionately targeted.
Trump often notes that he did not start a new war while in office and casts himself as a peacemaker. Even so, voices on the US right have increasingly highlighted violence in Nigeria and pressed for a tougher response.
