President Donald Trump said Friday that Christians are facing an “existential” threat in Nigeria and vowed to have the U.S. State Department place the country on its list of Countries of Particular Concern, something Christian advocates have been urging for years.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that “Thousands of Christians are being killed” in Nigeria, a country in West Africa that has been plagued by the rise of Islamic extremist groups in the northeast and radicalized herders in the Middle Belt states that have killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee in recent years.
Advocates say that Christians in Nigeria have faced ongoing attacks with minimal support from the international community.
“Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote. “I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.’ But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!”
Trump’s announcement comes as his administration has faced pressure in recent months to label Nigeria a CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act, the U.S.’ top designation for religious freedom violators, which can carry potential diplomatic burdens, such as sanctions.
The Biden administration lifted Nigeria’s previous CPC designation in 2021. It was designated a CPC for the first time in the final year of the first Trump administration.
Earlier this month, Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.V., called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate Nigeria a CPC, citing estimates that thousands of Christians have been killed in Nigeria so far this year.
In his Truth Social post, Trump said he is asking Moore and Chairman Tom Cole of the House Appropriations Committee “to immediately look into this matter, and report back to me.”
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries,” Trump said. “We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!”
The global Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors has warned in recent years that more Christians are killed in Nigeria for their faith annually than in all other countries combined.
While some international observers say what’s happening to Christian communities in the Middle Belt states may meet the standard for religious persecution and genocide, the Nigerian government contends that such violence is not inherently religious and emanates from decades-old farmer-herder clashes. The government has strongly pushed back against claims of a genocide, but has also faced allegations that it has not acted adequately to protect its citizens from radicalized groups.
The U.S.-based watchdog organization International Christian Concern says that Trump’s CPC designation “could significantly improve the lives of many Christians in Nigeria by raising awareness of the ongoing persecution and exerting pressure on the Nigerian government to take action.”
“We are deeply grateful for this important recognition,” International Christian Concern President Shawn Wright said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. “It represents a significant step toward mobilizing the global community to confront the atrocities that have devastated so many families and communities in Nigeria. Our prayer is that this designation will encourage other world leaders to follow suit and that it will lead to tangible actions that bring relief and lasting change for those suffering at the hands of violent extremists.”
