United States’ President Donald Trump has acknowledged that Muslims are also among those killed in Nigeria’s ongoing insecurity, marking a shift from his earlier stance that focused largely on Christian victims.
Since turning attention to Nigeria’s security challenges, Trump has repeatedly asserted that Christians were being singled out in violent attacks, a position critics say did not fully reflect the situation on the ground.
However, speaking in an interview with The New York Times, the US president conceded that people of different faiths were affected by the violence, although he maintained that Christians bore the brunt of the attacks.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” The New York Times quoted him as saying.
Trump also spoke on the Christmas Day attack on terror targets in Nigeria, indicating that further military action by the United States remained a possibility.
“I’d love to make it a one-time strike … But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike,” Trump was quoted as saying.
When asked about comments credited to his Africa adviser, who reportedly said that Islamic State and Boko Haram fighters were killing more Muslims than Christians, Trump reiterated his view: “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians.”
In late October, Trump had warned that Christianity was facing what he described as an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatened military intervention, accusing the Nigerian government of failing to curb violence against Christian communities.
He subsequently redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and criticised the authorities for what he said was an inability to adequately protect lives.
In response, the Federal Government dispatched a high-powered delegation to the United States to brief American officials on the country’s security realities. Following the visit, senior US officials also travelled to Nigeria to gain first-hand insight into the situation.
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