President Donald Trump has ordered the military to prepare for action in Nigeria, where he claims the government has failed to protect Christians from Islamist extremist groups’ attacks.
The order comes after weeks of conservative lawmakers and Christian groups lobbying for intervention in the 15-year conflict between radical insurgents like Boko Haram and the Nigerian armed forces. Trump on Saturday accused the Nigerian government of allowing the militant groups to kill Christians and threatened to “immediately stop all aid and assistance” if they continue.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He said the United States’ plan would be to go into the country “guns-a-blazing.”
On Sunday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the U.S. could send troops into the West African country or conduct air strikes to stop the killings of a “record number” of Christians in Nigeria.
The president has not specified what killings he has referred to. Groups monitoring such violence say, however, that no evidence indicates Christians are being killed more than Muslims in Nigeria, according to the BBC.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to Trump’s Saturday directive in a post on X, confirming that “the Department of War is preparing for action.”
“Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Hegseth said.
Daniel Bwala, an advisor to Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tunubu, said the claims of genocide against Nigerian Christians were “false,” but was encouraging of the U.S. decision to provide military support.
“We welcome U.S. assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity,” Bwala told Reuters. “I am sure by the time these two leaders meet and sit, there would be better outcomes in our joint resolve to fight terrorism,” Bwala said, referring to Trump and Tinubu.
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Trump has previously claimed that Christians in Nigeria were facing an “existential threat,” and labeled the country a “Country of Particular Concern,” a designation indicating a country’s government has engaged in or tolerated severe repression of religious groups.
“We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World,” Trump said.
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