US President Donald Trump of Saturday warned of an “existential threat” to Christianity in Nigeria, and said that he was adding the nation to a State Department watch list.
In a Truth Social post, the President called for action against the “slaughter” in Nigeria, adding that the US was working to save Christians across the globe.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a “COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN” — But that is the least of it,” a part of Trump’s post read.
He also said that he was asking US Representatives Riley Moore and Tom Cole, as well as the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, to look into the matter and report back to him.
“When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!” Trump further wrote.
Nigeria is being added to the “Countries of Particular Concern” list, which currently includes China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Pakistan, and others.
Trump’s move could trigger sanctions against Nigeria, though the designation does not automatically impose them. Such sanctions, potentially including a ban on all non-humanitarian aid, remain a possible next step.
According to US law, the president can designate a country as a “country of particular concern,” a step that allows for penalties but does not automatically trigger sanctions.
According to news agency AP, Nigeria has rejected Trump’s allegations. The country was first placed on the “country of particular concern” list by the US in 2020, but the name was taken out three years later amid a turnaround in diplomatic ties.
While the earlier designation to the list came over “systematic violations of religious freedom”, attacks on Christians weren’t singled out.
