Aboard Air Force One (TDI): US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington could consider deploying troops or conducting air strikes in Nigeria to stop what he described as the killing of Christians in the West African nation.
Asked aboard Air Force One whether he envisioned American boots on the ground or an aerial campaign, Trump replied, “Could be. I mean, other things. I envisage a lot of things. They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria … in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen.”
The remarks came as the president returned to Washington after spending the weekend at his Florida residence, Reuters reported.
Trump had already warned a day earlier that the United States might take military action if Nigeria’s government failed to prevent attacks against Christians. His comments followed the decision by Washington to add Nigeria back to its Countries of Particular Concern list for religious freedom violations, a designation it shares with China, North Korea, Russia, Myanmar, and Pakistan.
Reacting to the US president’s comments, Nigerian officials said they would accept American assistance in combating terrorism as long as the country’s sovereignty remained intact. “We welcome US assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity,” said Daniel Bwala, an adviser to President Bola Tinubu, in remarks to Reuters.
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Bwala downplayed Trump’s criticism of Nigeria as a “disgraced country,” saying, “We don’t take it literally, because we know Donald Trump thinks well of Nigeria. Once both leaders meet, I’m sure we’ll see positive outcomes in our shared fight against terrorism.”
Nigeria, home to over 200 million people and roughly 200 ethnic groups, is divided between a mostly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. Insurgents such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) have waged a violent campaign for more than 15 years, killing tens of thousands.
While Trump claimed Christians were being slaughtered “in record numbers,” analysts note that most of the victims of extremist attacks have been Muslims.
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In central Nigeria, long-running clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers have often erupted over land and water access, while the country’s northwest continues to suffer from frequent kidnappings and village raids by armed gangs.
“There is no Christian genocide,” Bwala said. “Nigeria does not discriminate against any tribe or religion in its fight against insecurity.”
