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The United States is weighing measures including sanctions and potential Pentagon involvement in counterterrorism as part of a broader effort to pressure Nigeria to strengthen protections for Christian communities and uphold religious freedom, a senior State Department official said on Thursday.
Nigeria has come under increased attention from President Donald Trump, who in early November warned of possible military action over the treatment of Christians. Nigerian authorities insist accusations of persecution oversimplify a complex security landscape and overlook the government’s steps to safeguard religious freedoms.
Jonathan Pratt, the senior official heading the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that “the Trump administration is developing a plan to incentivize and compel the Nigerian government to better protect Christian communities and improve religious freedom.”
He said the plan includes examining possible actions by both the State and Treasury Departments such as sanctions along with potential “Department of War engagement on counterterrorism” and additional measures aimed at protecting religious groups.
Pratt added that Washington is closely evaluating the security assistance it provides to Nigeria, how those resources are being used, and the sharing of intelligence and information with the government.
In October, Trump added Nigeria back to a ”Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations that the U.S. says have violated religious freedom. He has also said he asked the Defence Department to prepare for possible ”fast” military action in Nigeria if the West African nation fails to crack down on the killing of Christians, and said he was immediately stopping all aid and assistance to Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and top oil producer.
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View AllNigeria, which has 200 ethnic groups practicing Christianity, Islam and traditional religions, has a long history of peaceful coexistence. But there have also been flare-ups of violence among groups, often exacerbated by ethnic divisions or conflict over scarce resources.
The extremist Islamist armed group Boko Haram has also terrorized north-eastern Nigeria, an insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of people over the past 15 years. Human rights experts have said that more Muslims have been killed by Boko Haram than Christians.
A Nigerian delegation is set to meet with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and officials at the Pentagon, which Trump has renamed the Department of War, while in town this week, Pratt said.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu dispatched his national security adviser to Washington to meet Trump administration officials and U.S. lawmakers. The Nigerian delegation, which arrived on Wednesday, also includes the country’s defence chief, chief of defence intelligence and head of police.
Pratt on Thursday said he does not believe the government of Nigeria has been infiltrated by jihadists.
Jacob McGee, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour, said the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern was an important step that had captured the attention of that country’s government, but that a lot more needed to be done.
”We are planning engagement on the ground, both through our embassies there and other trips, to make sure Nigerians hear our very important message that they have to do better,” McGee said.
With inputs from agencies