Name: US mulls sanctions, Pentagon plan to protect Christians in Nigeria
Uploaded: 2025-11-21T07:26:44.899Z
Duration: 1 min 54 s
Description: The United States is considering actions such as sanctions and Pentagon engagement on counterterrorism as part of a plan to compel the Nigerian government to better protect Christian communities and religious freedom, a senior U.S. State Department official said.

The United States is considering actions such as sanctions and Pentagon engagement on counterterrorism as part of a plan to compel the Nigerian government to better protect Christian communities and religious freedom, a senior U.S. State Department official said.

Washington

The United States is evaluating measures such as sanctions and Pentagon counterterrorism engagement to encourage the Nigerian government to better protect Christian communities and uphold religious freedom. This follows President Donald Trump's recent threats of military action and suspension of aid over concerns about violence against Christians in Nigeria.

Nigeria, which has a diverse religious and ethnic population, has faced periodic violence, including attacks by the extremist group Boko Haram. Nigerian officials argue that claims of Christian persecution oversimplify a complex security situation. A Nigerian delegation recently traveled to Washington to discuss these issues with U.S. officials.

US mulls sanctions, Pentagon plan to protect Christians in Nigeria

The United States is considering measures such as sanctions and Pentagon engagement on counterterrorism to compel the Nigerian government to better protect Christian communities and religious freedom. That's according to a senior U.S. State Department official on Thursday. Nigeria is under scrutiny from U.S. President Donald Trump, who in early November threatened military action over the treatment of Christians in the country. Here's Jonathan Pratt, who leads the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, speaking at the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. The Trump administration is developing a plan to incentivize and compel the Nigerian government to better protect Christian communities and improve religious freedom. This plan will consider U.S. state and Treasury engagement on sanctions, as well as possible Department of War engagement on counterterrorism and other efforts to protect religious communities. In October, Trump added Nigeria back to a countries of particular concern list. The CPC list is a tally of nations that the U.S. says have violated religious freedom. He said he had asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible fast military action in Nigeria if it fails to crack down on the killing of Christians, and said he was halting all aid and assistance to the country. Nigeria, which is home to 200 ethnic groups practicing Christianity, Islam, and traditional religions, says claims that Christians face persecution misrepresent a complex security situation and do not take into account efforts to safeguard religious freedom. The country has experienced periodic violence, often linked to ethnic divisions and conflict over scarce resources. The extremist Islamist armed group Boko Haram has also terrorized northeastern Nigeria, an insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of people over the past 15 years. Yet human rights experts have said that more Muslims have been killed by Boko Haram than Christians. Nigerian President Bolotinubu sent a delegation to Washington on Wednesday to meet Trump administration officials and U.S. lawmakers.

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