Trump Warns of "Existential Threat" to Nigerian Christians Amid Complex Religious and Resource Conflicts

Former US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning about what he describes as an "existential threat" facing Christians in Nigeria, claiming thousands are being killed in what he termed a "mass slaughter" perpetrated by radical Islamists.

In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump announced his intention to designate Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" - an official State Department classification reserved for nations engaged in severe religious freedom violations.

Trump has directed two federal lawmakers to investigate the situation, emphasizing that "The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!"

This narrative of "Christian genocide" in Nigeria has previously gained traction among certain US congressional representatives. However, regional experts suggest that such characterizations oversimplify the complex realities on the ground in Africa's most populous nation, which has consistently rejected such claims.

Nigeria's demographic landscape features an almost equal division between a predominantly Muslim north and a largely Christian south. The country's northeast region has endured more than 15 years of jihadist violence at the hands of the Islamist Boko Haram organization, resulting in over 40,000 deaths and displacing approximately two million people.

Concurrently, vast areas of Nigeria's northwest, north, and central regions have suffered from attacks by criminal organizations known locally as "bandits" who target villages, killing residents and conducting kidnappings. These groups frequently ransack and burn homes without apparent religious motivation.

The country also experiences frequent clashes between predominantly Muslim herder communities and mainly Christian farming populations over land and natural resources, particularly water access. While these conflicts sometimes take on religious overtones in areas with historical sectarian tensions, experts emphasize that the fundamental disputes in north-central Nigeria primarily concern land resources, which are increasingly strained by population growth and climate change impacts.