The Nigerian government has taken the time to refute President Trump's claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria after he announced a bombing campaign against Africa's most populous (and oil-richest) country.
“The United States has struck a powerful and deadly blow against the terrorist scum of ISIS in northwestern Nigeria, who have been persecuting and viciously killing, primarily innocent Christians, at levels not seen for years, even centuries!” Trump announced on Christmas Eve Truth Social. “I previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the massacre of Christians, we would have to pay with hell, and this happened tonight.”
The problem with right-wing claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria is that terrorist groups and militias are killing every, Both Christians and Muslims. The Nigerian government that says this provided Trump administration intelligence ahead of the strikes made it clear what they were really about.
“Nigeria reaffirms that all efforts to combat terrorism are guided by the priority of protecting civilian life, protecting national unity and protecting the rights and dignity of all citizens, regardless of religion or ethnicity,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in the statement. “Terrorist violence in any form, whether directed against Christians, Muslims or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security.”
Nigeria has spent months trying to clarify this issue, just as the right has spent months trying justify violent US intervention to protect Christians – Trump threatened to enter Nigeria “with fire” just last month.
“It is not Christian genocide because the facts do not support it,” Good Governance Nigeria researcher Malik Samuel. said in November. “If you look at the areas where this conflict is prevalent, even in… even if you take just Borno State, you look at northern Borno, many of these communities are predominantly Muslim. So the majority of victims of Boko Haram violence are Muslim.”
Trump runs with it the same way he runs with absurdity. claims of white genocide in South Africa – and both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria will suffer the consequences.
