US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned that he could send the military into Nigeria if the killings of Christians by Islamist groups are not stopped. In a social media post, Trump said he asked the Pentagon to map out a potential plan of attack and warned that any action would be “fast, vicious, and immediate.” He stated, “If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S. will immediately halt all aid and may take direct military action against the Islamic terrorists committing these atrocities.” Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth confirmed Trump’s statement, saying, “The Department of War is preparing for action. Either Nigeria protects Christians, or we will target the perpetrators.” Trump had claimed on Friday, without evidence, that “thousands of Christians are being killed” and blamed “radical Islamists” for the attacks. US politicians have also criticized the Nigerian government. In March, Congressman Chris Smith called for Nigeria to be designated a “Country of Particular Concern,” a move Trump announced Friday, citing an “existential threat” to Nigerian Christians. Earlier in October, Senator Ted Cruz and Republican Riley Moore accused the Nigerian government of ignoring the “mass murder” of Christians. Tolerance Claims of Christian persecution have also been pushed by some in Nigeria, where ethnic, religious and regional divisions have flared with deadly consequences in the past and still shape the country’s modern politics. Some US officials argue Christians in Nigeria are facing a “genocide” — a claim that Abuja denies. “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said on social media Saturday after Trump made his CPC announcement. “Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” Tinubu added. Nigeria is almost evenly divided between a Muslim-majority north and a largely Christian south. The country is consumed by security issues. Its northeastern region is at the epicenter of a Boko Haram jihadist insurgency, which has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced more than two million since 2009, according to the United Nations. In central Nigeria, majority-Muslim herders have repeatedly clashed with majority-Christian farmers. The conflict is frequently portrayed as inter-religious but generally stems from competition over land access.
Trump warns of military action in Nigeria following attacks on Christians
