The president threatened to cut off all aid to Nigeria and suggested that ground troops and air strikes may be on the table.
In a series of strongly worded warnings over the past week, President Donald Trump has suggested the U.S. government will consider military intervention to stop the “mass slaughter” of Christians at the hands of Islamic terrorists in Nigeria.
In a Nov. 5 video address, Trump warned that Christianity in Africa’s most populous country is facing an “existential crisis,” referring to reports that thousands of Christians are killed in religiously motivated attacks each year.
The president threatened to cut off all aid to Nigeria and suggested that ground troops and air strikes may be on the table. He also relisted Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” a formal designation that can lead to sanctions and other consequences.
U.S. lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Riley Moore, have also drawn attention to the plight of Nigerian Christians, who have long suffered brutal attacks at the hands of Islamists.
Reports of Christians Persecuted
Trump, Cruz, and Moore point to reports by nongovernmental organizations claiming that more than 50,000 or even well over 100,000 Christians have been killed since 2009, with 7,000 “martyred” so far this year. The reports also say that nearly 20,000 churches or religious institutions have been destroyed, with thousands kidnapped and millions displaced.
Other sources have reported increased violence against Christians in recent years, but lower overall estimated deaths.
Nigerian officials deny that Christians are persecuted. They said they welcomed U.S. help fighting terrorist violence as long as it respects Nigerian sovereignty.
The Nigerian government says the crisis is driven by a mix of factors—including ethnic conflicts and land-use disputes, as well as banditry and criminality, rather than faith-based violence. Government officials have claimed that more Muslims are being killed than Christians.
Nigeria Denies Christian Genocide
In a speech posted to social media on Nov. 5, Mohammed Idris, Nigeria’s minister of information, said Trump’s threats were based on misinformation.
Idris acknowledged the country has faced “longstanding” and serious security challenges since the 2009 emergence of Islamist terror group Boko Haram and other “criminal elements,” but that Tinubu’s administration has taken decisive action.
