Donald Trump orders military to prepare plans for ‘action’ in Nigeria
US President Donald Trump has ordered military action plans to be prepared to combat Islamist militant groups in Nigeria, accusing the government of not doing enough to stop the killing of Christians.
Trump did not say which killings he was referring to, but allegations of genocide against Christians in Nigeria have been circulating in some right-wing circles in the United States in recent weeks and months.
Groups that monitor the violence say there is no evidence that Christians are killed at higher rates than Muslims in Nigeria, which is roughly evenly divided between adherents of the two religions.
The government of Africa’s most populous country did not respond to the US threat of military intervention.
But Nigerian President Bola Tinubu insisted there was religious tolerance in the country and said security issues were affecting people “across religion and the region.”
Trump wrote in a post on social media on Saturday that he had instructed the US War Department to prepare for “possible action”.
He warned that unless the Nigerian government intervened, he could send the army into Nigeria “with firearms” and said all aid to the country would be cut off.
Trump added: “If we attack, it will be fast, brutal and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attacked our VALUED Christians!”
Trump had previously announced that he had declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” due to the “existential threat” to its Christian population. He said “thousands” of people had been killed without providing any evidence.
This is a definition used by the US State Department, which calls for sanctions against countries that “serious violations of religious freedom”.
Following this announcement, Tinubu said his government was committed to working with the United States and the international community to protect communities of all faiths.
In his statement, the Nigerian leader said, “Describing Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.” he said.
Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have wreaked havoc and killed thousands of people in northeastern Nigeria for more than a decade; But most of them were Muslims, according to Acled, a group that analyzes political violence around the world.
In central Nigeria, there are frequent clashes between mostly Muslim herders and mostly Christian farming groups over access to water and pasture.
The deadly cycle of tit-for-tat attacks has also left thousands dead, but atrocities have been committed on both sides, and human rights groups say there is no evidence Christians are disproportionately targeted.
During his term in office, Trump frequently expressed his satisfaction with not involving the United States in a war and portrayed himself as a peacemaker.
But the Republican leader faces a growing number of voices calling attention to the issue, especially from the political right.
Additional reporting by Chris Ewokor in Abuja
