Trump labels Nigeria as 'country of particular concern' over 'existential threat' to Christians

US President Donald Trump stirred yet another storm after he declared Christianity in Nigeria is facing an “existential threat”. Trump made the remarks while announcing the West Asian nation in the US Department of State’s watch list for “countries of particular concern.”

Trump appeared to push a rhetoric often shared by Senator Ted Cruz, alleging “severe violations” of religious freedom in Nigeria. The watch list currently also includes countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China. An inclusion in the watch list could lead to being sanctioned by the United States.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote in a post on TruthSocial on Friday. He maintained that he had requested US Representatives Riley Moore and Tom Cole, along with the House Appropriations Committee, to investigate the matter and report their findings directly to him.

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“We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!” Trump exclaimed. Cruz has been spearheading a contentious effort to designate Nigeria as a violator of religious freedom. He has been propagating unfounded claims of “Christian mass murder” – assertions the West African nation has vehemently rejected as false.

Is there any truth to Trump’s claim?

Nigeria has a population of 220 million people who are equally split between Christians and Muslims. The country has been facing insecurity from various fronts, including the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law. However, the group has also been targeting the Muslim population in the country, insisting that they are “not Muslim enough”.

Attacks that have been unleashed in Nigeria have had varying motives. There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups and ethnic clashes.

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While Christians are among the most targeted, analysts say that the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur. Both Christian and Muslim groups operating in the country have often alleged “genocide” during religiously motivated attacks against both sides.

The government of Nigeria has often rejected Cruz’s claims, which have been discussed among Nigerians. “There is no systematic, intentional attempt either by the Nigerian government or by any serious group to target a particular religion," Information Minister Idris Muhammed told The Associated Press.

Not the first time

This is not the first time Nigeria has been placed on the US concern list. It was added to the list in 2020 as well, in what the State Department called “systematic violations of religious freedom.”

However, the designation at that time did not single out attacks on Christians and was eventually lifted in 2023 in what observers saw as a way to improve ties between the countries ahead of then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit.

A Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Cruz is pushing for Nigeria to be labelled a “country of particular concern.” He pushed for a bill last month to add Nigeria to the list. The bill is awaiting action in the Senate, though its ultimate approval is not guaranteed.