The United States has moved to place Nigeria back on an international watchlist after President Donald Trump ordered the designation of the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged mass killings of Christians, U.S. officials and media reports indicate.
Trump announced the designation on Friday, saying Christians in Nigeria face an “existential threat.” He urged American lawmakers to investigate what he described as the mass slaughter and said the United States must act if Abuja fails to stop the violence.
A day after the designation, Trump said he had instructed the Pentagon to prepare for possible military action against militants operating in Nigeria. In a social-media post he warned that U.S. troops could be sent into the country if the killings continued.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians! Warning: The Nigerian government better move fast!”
Following those statements, Fox News reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has moved to restore Nigeria to the watchlist — a reversal of the policy under the previous administration — a step that raises the prospect of sanctions, aid restrictions and other diplomatic consequences for Abuja.
The development intensifies a fraught diplomatic episode between Washington and Abuja. The designation and the accompanying rhetoric from the U.S. presidency have already prompted brisk reactions in Nigeria, with officials disputing the characterisation of the country’s security situation and rejecting claims that the federal government tolerates or enables targeted attacks on any religious group.
