Trump suggests U.S. could take military action in Nigeria over killings of Christians

President Donald Trump suggested the United States could take military action in Nigeria to stop the killing of Christians, a day after warning that his administration may cut aid and “go in guns-a-blazing” against what he called Islamic terrorists.

Trump made the remarks on Sunday while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if he envisioned U.S. troops on the ground or air strikes in Nigeria.

“Could be, I mean I envisage a lot of things,” he said. “They are killing record number of Christians in Nigeria, and they have other countries very bad also, you know, that part of the world, very bad.”

“They are killing the Christians, and killing them in very large numbers,” Trump said. “We are not going to allow that to happen.”

The comments followed a post on Saturday in which Trump warned that if the Nigerian government “continues to allow the killing of Christians,” the United States would “immediately stop all aid and assistance” and could intervene militarily.

“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet,” he wrote, instructing the Department of War to “prepare for possible action.”

Nigeria’s government responded through Dr. Daniel Bwala, spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, who said Trump’s comments had been misunderstood.

“There is no genocide taking place in Nigeria; rather, the nation faces serious security challenges that have affected people across all faiths, including Christians,” Bwala told BBC World Service.

Bwala said that while Nigeria welcomes cooperation with international partners, any action must respect its sovereignty. “It would not be diplomatically appropriate for the United States to take unilateral action without engagement and consent from the Nigerian government,” he said.

Bwala added that during Trump’s first administration, U.S. policy had supported Nigeria’s fight against insurgents. “His executive action facilitated the sale of arms to Nigeria to strengthen our fight against insurgency,” he said.