Dare Babalola
United States President Donald Trump acknowledged that Muslims are also being killed in Nigeria, but emphasised that Christians are the primary targets, warning of potential further US military action if violence against Christians persists.
Trump shared his thoughts in an interview with the New York Times, which was published on the newspaper’s website on Thursday.
Trump made these comments while addressing questions about the US military strike on Christmas Day in Nigeria, where the US targeted Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the Nigerian government’s request.
Nigerian authorities described the strike as a “joint operation” aimed at “terrorists” and said it had “nothing to do with a particular religion.”
“I’d love to make it a one-time strike but if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike,” Trump said.
When asked about comments by his Africa adviser that Islamic State and Boko Haram militants were killing more Muslims than Christians, Trump responded, “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians.”
In late October, Trump began warning that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatened U.S. military intervention over what he described as the Nigerian government’s failure to protect Christian communities.
Nigeria has a population of more than 230 million people, split roughly evenly between Christians, who are largely based in the south, and Muslims, who are predominantly in the north.
Despite longstanding security challenges, including insurgency-related violence and kidnappings in the north, Nigeria has consistently denied that Christians are subjected to systematic persecution.
The Nigerian government has said it is willing to cooperate with Washington in combating militant groups but has rejected language suggesting that Christians are uniquely targeted, noting that both Muslims and Christians have been killed by insurgents.
