Donald Trump
By Olayiwola Mercy
US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that Muslims are also being killed in Nigeria, marking a shift from his earlier stance that Christians are the primary victims of violence in the country. This admission came during an interview with The New York Times, where Trump was questioned about Washington’s Christmas Day military strike in Nigeria targeting Islamic State militants.
Trump’s comments were seen as a partial U-turn on his narrative about religious killings in Nigeria. He stated, “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians.
The US strike was carried out at the request of the Nigerian government, targeting Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) elements, a splinter group of Boko Haram responsible for years of violence across northern Nigeria.
Trump warned that if violence against Christians persists, there could be more US military strikes in Nigeria. He said, “I’d love to make it a one-time strike… but if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.
The Nigerian government has rejected claims of a genocide against Christians, pointing out that violent armed groups operate with mixed motives and have killed both Muslims and Christians across the country.
Experts argue that while armed groups like Boko Haram have committed deadly attacks, the violence is complex and doesn’t exclusively target Christians. Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) shows that most victims of jihadist groups are Muslims.
