June 8, 2026
The UN’s top expert on religious freedom kicked off a two-week visit to Nigeria Monday, after politically charged accusations over Christian “persecution” roiled the country diplomatically last year.
The United States elevated the accusation — long popular on the fringes of the religious and political right — to the highest levels of government in the lead-up to its bombing campaign against Nigerian jihadists.
It has since deployed troops to the country and announced a renewed focus on combatting Islamic State-linked militants in the region.
Researchers say the reality on the ground in Africa’s most populous country is more nuanced — jihadists are strongest in the country’s Muslim-majority north, for example, which means most of their victims are likely Muslim.
