WASHINGTON: The United States is seeking cooperation with Nigeria on protecting Christians, a senior official said Thursday, weeks after President Donald Trump threatened military action.
A Nigerian delegation, including the national security advisor, Nuhu Ribadu, is visiting Washington to discuss US concerns over the killings of Christians in Africa’s most populous nation, AFP reported.
The delegation will meet the deputy secretary of state, Christopher Landau, said Jonathan Pratt, the top State Department official for Africa.
The Trump administration wants to “work with the Nigerian government on an action plan and to set up a task force to address this issue,” he told a congressional hearing.
He stopped short of discussing military options, only confirming that there had been meetings within the US government “on the security side of the equation.”
The United States will “use all of the tools that are at our disposal to focus minds and focus attention on this issue,” Pratt said.
Religiously diverse Nigeria is the scene of a number of conflicts that have killed both Christians and Muslims.
Christian groups have long pressed for action in Nigeria, but some experts see the situation as more nuanced, with conflicts rooted in disputes over scarce resources rather than on religious lines.
Representative Sara Jacobs, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, called Trump’s threats of war “reckless” and questioned why he slashed US aid aimed at enhancing community dialogue.
“We are already receiving reports of increased tensions (in) Christian and Muslim relations following this rhetoric,” she said.
“A military-led approach risks more civilian casualties and impunity, which will only fuel violent extremism more.”
