Former President Donald Trump has indicated potential escalation of U.S. military involvement in Nigeria during a recent interview with the New York Times. Trump asserted that continued violence against Christian communities in the African nation could prompt multiple American strikes, despite Nigeria’s consistent denials of systematic religious persecution.
The remarks follow a controversial Christmas Day operation where U.S. forces conducted a targeted strike against Daesh militants in northwestern Nigeria. According to military officials, this action was executed at the explicit request of the Nigerian government, which subsequently characterized it as a joint counterterrorism effort with no religious motivations.
Trump’s statements reveal a significant policy position: ‘I’d prefer to consider this a single intervention… However, if the killing of Christians persists, we will respond with multiple strikes.’ This stance appears at odds with assessments from his own Africa advisory team, which noted that extremist groups like Daesh and Boko Haram have actually claimed more Muslim than Christian lives in the region.
When confronted with this discrepancy, Trump acknowledged Muslim casualties but maintained that ‘the primary victims are Christians.’ His comments extend previous warnings issued in late October, when he declared Christianity faced an ‘existential threat’ in Nigeria and threatened military intervention over perceived government inaction.
Nigeria, with its population of approximately 230 million people divided nearly equally between Christians (predominantly in the south) and Muslims (mainly in the north), continues to face complex security challenges. While acknowledging persistent violence from extremist insurgents in northern regions, Nigerian authorities strongly reject characterization of systematic religious persecution, noting that militants target both Muslim and Christian communities alike.
The Nigerian government has previously responded to Trump’s threats by expressing willingness to collaborate with Washington against militant groups while firmly rejecting language suggesting special peril for Christian communities.