US president’s remarks about alleged persecution of Christians in the west African country appear to be in response to pressure from his evangelical base
Donald Trump has threatened to launch a “guns-a-blazing” US military intervention in Nigeria, claiming that the west African country’s government has failed to prevent attacks on Christians.
Here’s what we know so far about the unfolding situation.
In a post on his Truth Social account at the weekend, Trump said: “Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter” and warned that if the Nigerian government failed to stop the killings, Washington would “immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and could “go into that now disgraced country, guns-a-blazing”.
Trump’s remarks came after weeks of lobbying by US lawmakers and conservative Christian groups urging him to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for alleged religious persecution — a list that also includes Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China.
