US President Donald Trump has redesignated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ in response to allegations of a Christian genocide in the country.
Trump announced his decision in a Truth Social post on
Friday.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria.
Thousands of Christians are being killed,” Trump said.
He blamed radical Islamists for the “mass slaughter”.
“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR
CONCERN’,” he declared.
Trump said when Christians are slaughtered like is happening
in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 worldwide), something must be done.
The US president did not mention where he cited the figures
from.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are
happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries,” he added.
Trump said he would ask Congressmen Riley Moore and Tom Cole
and the house appropriations committee to immediately look into this matter.
Moore, alongside Ted Cruz, a senator, had been at the
forefront of the claims, asking Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, to make the
designation.
A CPC designation is given by the US secretary of state
under authority delegated by the president.
In September, Cruz introduced a bill calling for “targeted
sanctions against Nigerian officials who enforce Sharia and blasphemy laws” and
a designation of Nigeria as a CPC.
The bill came just weeks before Trump signed a memo
labelling views leaning towards anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and
anti-Christianity as domestic terrorism.
Nigeria was first designated a CPC in 2020, during the last
year of Trump’s first term.
The Joe Biden administration later removed Nigeria from the
list.
However, the calls were renewed in March when Congress heard
proposals from lawmakers seeking the imposition of sanctions on Nigeria as a
CPC.
Trump’s redesignation of the country as a CPC comes despite
rebuttals from Nigeria about the claims.
Last month, President Bola Tinubu said the allegations of a
religious genocide in the country were unfounded.
Tinubu said the country is built on the faith and resilience
of its people, adding that no religion is under threat.
Members of Trump’s administration have also debunked the
claims.
Earlier this month, Massad Boulos, Trump’s senior adviser on
Arab and African affairs, said people of all religions and all tribes were
victims of terrorist acts in the country.
Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, had also
dismissed reports of a religious war in Nigeria, saying attacks in the country
stem from social causes.
When the US designates a CPC, Congress is notified to impose
non-economic policy options designed to bring about cessation of the
particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
Where these options have been exhausted, an economic measure
follows.
Nigeria has yet to react to the development.
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