Trump Management Threatens Military Action Against Nigeria Over Alleged christian Persecution
WASHINGTONโข – Former President Donaldโข Trumpโค has accused Nigeria of “tolerating the killings of Christians” and raised โคthe possibility of military intervention, escalating tensions withโค the African nation. The move follows months of lobbying by conservative American politiciansโข who allege aโข “genocide” is โoccurring against Christians in Nigeria, claims echoed by Christian and evangelical groups and some far-right European leaders.
The accusations center on โขongoing security challenges in Nigeria, whereโ decades โฃof โconflict have resulted inโ thousands of deathsโข and displacement. While Nigeria’s President Bola โTinubuโ responded on X (formerly โคtwitter) stating, “The characterization of nigeria โขas a religiously intolerant country โขdose not reflect our national reality,” Trump’s consideration of military action marks a notable escalation. This echoes Trump’s past rhetoric regarding the โtreatment of minority groups in other countries, notably his focus on theโ Afrikaner โขpopulation in South africa and โขclaims โof aโ “genocide” โคagainst them.
Nigeria โfaces aโฃ complex web of security crises.In the northeast, the Boko Haram insurgency, active since 2009, has killed โคoverโฃ 40,000 people and displaced more than two million,โค accordingโฃ to United Nations estimates. Though weakened, Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa โProvince (ISWAP), remain active. Central โฃNigeriaโข experiences recurrent, deadlyโค clashes between Fulani herders – predominantly muslim – and farmers, often Christian, typically stemming from competitionโ overโฃ land access, โthough frequently framed โas religious conflict. The northwest is plaguedโค by โcriminal gangs, โknown locally as “bandits,” who engage in attacks, kidnappings for ransom, andโฃ arson.
Donald Trump’s Africa advisor,Massad Boulos,a long-time โresidentโค of Nigeria,recently stated that โjihadist groups are killing “more muslims than Christians” in the country. Nigeria is almost evenly divided between a predominantly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south, โฃa demographic dynamic that fuels concerns about religious tensions. The Trump administration previously granted refugeeโข status to Afrikaner leaders, many of whom were associated with South Africa’s apartheid regime, further highlighting a pattern of intervention based on perceived threats to specific groups.