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US President Donald Trump has directed the military to prepare for possible action in Nigeria, citing the government’s alleged failure to protect Christians from Islamist militant groups.
While Trump did not specify which incidents prompted his statement, allegations of genocide against Nigerian Christians have been circulating in some right-wing US circles in recent weeks. However, violence monitoring organizations report no evidence that Christians are being killed at higher rates than Muslims in Nigeria, a country with roughly equal populations of both faiths.
Nigerian Response
Daniel Bwala, an advisor to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, stated that both leaders share a commitment to fighting “all forms of terrorism against humanity.” He acknowledged that any disagreements about whether violence targets Christians exclusively “or in fact all faiths and no faiths” would be addressed during an upcoming meeting between Trump and Tinubu.
President Tinubu has maintained that religious tolerance exists in Nigeria and emphasized that security challenges affect people “across faiths and regions.”
Trump’s Warning
In a Saturday social media post, Trump announced he had instructed the US Department of War to prepare for “possible action.” He threatened to send military forces into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” unless the Nigerian government intervenes, warning that all aid to what he termed “the now disgraced country” would be terminated.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” Trump wrote.
Secretary of State for War Pete Hegseth responded to the post, confirming: “Yes sir. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
