US President Donald Trump threatens military action in Nigeria over Christian killings as Nigerian officials suggest diplomatic meeting
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump has repeated his threat of military action in Nigeria over killings of Christians.
Trump made these remarks to an AFP reporter while travelling aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
When asked whether he was considering US troops on the ground or air strikes in Nigeria, Trump responded “Could be, I mean, a lot of things — I envisage a lot of things.”
“They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen,” he added.
Trump had previously announced on his Truth Social platform that he asked the Pentagon to map out a possible attack plan in Nigeria.
He warned that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Africa’s most populous country.
Nigeria maintains an almost even religious division between a Muslim-majority north and largely Christian south.
The country faces numerous conflicts that experts say have killed both Christians and Muslims without distinction.
Trump declared in his social media post that if Nigeria does not stop the killings, the United States will attack and “it will be fast, vicious, and sweet.”
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s spokesman Daniel Bwala responded that Nigeria remains a US partner in the global fight against terrorism.
“Nigeria welcomes US support to fight terrorism as long as it respects our territorial integrity,” he told AFP.
Bwala suggested interpreting Trump’s social media post as his unique communication style rather than a literal threat.
He viewed the post as a method to “force a sit-down between the two leaders so they can iron out a common front to fight their insecurity.”
Bwala indicated that the two leaders might meet soon to resolve their differences.
He proposed discussing whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or all faiths during this potential meeting.
The Nigerian spokesman declined to provide specific details about any planned meeting between the leaders.
Trump had earlier claimed without evidence that “thousands of Christians are being killed (and) Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
Nigeria has consistently denied that Christians face disproportionate targeting in jihadist attacks.
President Tinubu stated on social media that “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.” – AFP
