ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday stated he’s ordered the Pentagon to start planning for potential navy motion in Nigeria as he stepped up his criticism that the federal government is failing to rein within the persecution of Christians within the West African nation.
“If the Nigerian Authorities continues to permit the killing of Christians, the united statesA. will instantly cease all help and help to Nigeria, and should very effectively go into that now disgraced nation, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to fully wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who’re committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump posted on social media. “I’m hereby instructing our Division of Warfare to arrange for attainable motion. If we assault, will probably be quick, vicious, and candy, similar to the terrorist thugs assault our CHERISHED Christians!”
The warning of attainable navy motion got here after Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu earlier on Saturday pushed again on Trump asserting a day earlier that he was designating the West African nation “a rustic of specific concern” for allegedly failing to rein within the persecution of Christians.
In a social media assertion on Saturday, Tinubu stated that the characterization of Nigeria as a religiously illiberal nation doesn’t replicate the nationwide actuality.
“Spiritual freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identification and shall at all times stay so,” Tinubu stated. “Nigeria opposes spiritual persecution and doesn’t encourage it. Nigeria is a rustic with constitutional ensures to guard residents of all faiths.”
Trump on Friday stated “Christianity is dealing with an existential risk in Nigeria” and “radical Islamists are chargeable for this mass slaughter.”
Trump’s remark got here weeks after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz urged Congress to designate Africa’s most populous nation as a violator of non secular freedom with claims of “Christian mass homicide.”
Nigeria’s inhabitants of 220 million is cut up virtually equally between Christians and Muslims. The nation has lengthy confronted insecurity from varied fronts together with the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to ascertain its radical interpretation of Islamic regulation and has additionally focused Muslims it deems not Muslim sufficient.
Assaults in Nigeria have various motives. There are religiously motivated ones concentrating on each Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling assets, communal rivalries, secessionist teams and ethnic clashes.
Whereas Christians are amongst these focused, analysts say the vast majority of victims of armed teams are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, the place most assaults happen.
Kimiebi Ebienfa, a spokesperson for the Ministry of International Affairs, reiterated the dedication of Nigeria to guard residents of all religions.
“The Federal Authorities of Nigeria will proceed to defend all residents, regardless of race, creed, or faith,” Ebienfa stated in a press release on Saturday. “Like America, Nigeria has no possibility however to have fun the range that’s our best energy.”
Nigeria was positioned on the nation of specific concern checklist by the U.S. for the primary time in 2020 over what the State Division known as “systematic violations of non secular freedom.” The designation, which didn’t single out assaults on Christians, was lifted in 2023 in what observers noticed as a approach to enhance ties between the nations forward of then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s go to.
Madhani reported from West Palm Seaside, Fla.
