US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US military may deploy troops or conduct airstrikes in Nigeria to stop the alleged mistreatment of Christians there. TASR informs about it according to the reports of Reuters, AFP and AP.
In short:
- Donald Trump is considering military intervention in Nigeria to protect Christians
- Nigeria has been placed on the list of countries that violate religious freedoms by the US
- The Nigerian president responded to the accusations, expressed his disapproval
“Maybe. I’m imagining a lot of things. They’re killing a record number of Christians in Nigeria. They’re killing Christians and they’re killing them in large numbers. We’re not going to let that happen,” the US president said when asked if he planned to deploy US troops in Nigeria or if the United States planned to carry out airstrikes there.
Nigeria on the list of concerns
The latest threats come a day after the Trump administration placed Nigeria on a list of “countries of particular concern”. According to the United States, these violate religious freedoms and include, for example, China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump said he had ordered the Defense Department to prepare for “swift” military action if Nigeria did not act against the alleged killing of Christians.
Nigeria’s president reacts
Nigeria, on the other hand, announced on Sunday that it would welcome US help in the fight against Islamist insurgents as long as its territorial integrity is respected. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu also responded to Trump’s words on Saturday, according to whom the designation of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country does not reflect reality.
Nigeria, a country of more than 200 million people and about 200 ethnic groups, is divided into a predominantly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south.
The country faces violence
For more than 15 years, the areas in the northeast have been plagued by violence perpetrated by the Islamist group Boko Haram. Although Christians are also among the victims of the violence, analysts point out that the overwhelming majority are Muslims.
In the northwest, north and center of the country, however, criminal gangs terrorize villages, which attack villages, kill and kidnap their inhabitants. Conflicts between predominantly Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farmers over access to land and water are also common. However, experts claim that this conflict primarily concerns territorial claims.
