President Donald Trump’s vigorous defense of Nigerian Christians has been widely welcomed by Christian and human-rights groups involved in the country, even if sources on the ground stress that the reality is complex and that Islamist attacks on Christians, while significant, are part of a wider and multifaceted problem.
In a video published on his Truth Social account Nov. 5, President Trump said Christianity is “facing an existential threat” in the West African nation, adding that “thousands and thousands of Christians are being killed” and that “radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
Trump went on to say that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries.” He also threatened to use force and to enter the “now-disgraced country guns-a-blazing,” as well as impose economic sanctions and withhold aid if action is not taken to protect the Christians there.
On Oct. 31, Trump acted to designate Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), meaning it would henceforth be held responsible for particularly severe violations of religious freedom under the 1998 U.S. International Religious Freedom Act. Trump has also asked U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Va., to lead an immediate investigation into the extent and nature of the persecution.
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