“We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World,” Trump said.
The United States on Friday designated the African nation of Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ over alleged killings of Christians there. US President Donald Trump, who made the announcement on Truth Social, said, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria.”
COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN
According to the US State Department, ‘country of particular concern’ is a designation given to countries that have engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom. The designation is granted under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and applies to countries with “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom”.
‘THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIANS BEING KILLED’
“Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a “COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN,” Trump said.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World,” Trump said further.
ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA
Christians and Muslims comprise the two dominant religious groups in Nigeria, with both groups making up about 46% of the population.
While sectarian and ethnic violence are not new in Nigeria, in recent years, the Christian community there has come under increasing attacks by terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.
One of the deadliest attacks on Christians in Nigeria happened in June 2022, when Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP) gunmen stormed a church in Ondo State, killing at least 40 people.
In June this year, around 200 Christians were massacred over two days in the village of Yelwata in Benue State of Nigeria.
