{"id":32773,"date":"2025-11-01T00:02:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T00:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/investmentbankingrules.com\/?p=32773"},"modified":"2025-11-01T00:02:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T00:02:44","slug":"trump-designates-nigeria-as-country-of-particular-concern-over-widespread-christian-persecution-killings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/investmentbankingrules.com\/?p=32773","title":{"rendered":"Trump designates Nigeria as \u2018country of particular concern\u2019 over widespread Christian persecution, killings"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Trump announced Friday that he is designating Nigeria as a \u2018country of particular concern,\u2019 citing the widespread killings of Christians in the West African country.
\n\u2018Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,\u2019 Trump posted to Truth Social. \u2018Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a \u2018COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN\u2019 \u2014 But that is the least of it.\u2019
\nThe President emphasized that action must be taken when people are persecuted for their faith.<\/p>\n

Trump said he has directed Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Va., Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and members of the House Appropriations Committee to investigate the situation and report their findings to him.
\n\u2018The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries,\u2019 Trump said. \u2018We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!\u2019
\nThe situation for Christians in Nigeria has reached an alarming level. Entire villages have been burned to the ground, worshipers killed during Sunday services, and thousands displaced by Islamist groups sweeping through the country\u2019s northern and central regions.
\nIn June, militants attacked the village of a bishop, just days after he testified before Congress about Christian persecution, leaving more than twenty people dead. Similar assaults in Plateau and Benue states have killed hundreds this year alone, with survivors describing how gunmen shouted, \u2018Allahu Akbar\u2019 as they torched churches and homes.
\nAccording to the international watchdog group Open Doors, nearly 70% of all Christians killed for their faith worldwide last year were in Nigeria. The group warns that Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militant herders are responsible for most of the bloodshed, often targeting Christian farmers in the country\u2019s Middle Belt. Rights organizations estimate that thousands of believers are murdered every year, while countless others are forced to flee.
\nMark Walker, President Trump\u2019s ambassador-designate for International Religious Freedom, told Fox News Digital that the United States must do what it can to pressure Nigeria\u2019s government to act.<\/p>\n

\u2018Even being conservative, it\u2019s probably 4,000 to 8,000 Christians killed annually,\u2019 Walker said. \u2018This has been going on for years \u2014 from ISWAP to Islamist Fulani ethnic militias \u2014 and the Nigerian government has to be much more proactive.\u2019
\nWalker, a former pastor and Republican congressman from North Carolina, said that although he has not yet been confirmed, he already works with church networks across Africa to help keep missionaries and local believers safe.
\n\u2018This isn\u2019t about appropriations or politics \u2014 this is about human life. We\u2019re talking about boys and girls, about women being kidnapped and horrific things happening. All of us should raise our voices.\u2019
\nHe added that he plans to work closely with Marco Rubio to strengthen U.S. advocacy once confirmed. \u2018Fortunately, we have a Secretary of State who has been one of the stronger voices,\u2019 Walker said. \u2018He\u2019s already put out statements and is very in tune with what\u2019s going on. I look forward to advising him when it comes to countries of particular concern.\u2019<\/p>\n

The White House has also acknowledged a surge in anti-Christian violence across sub-Saharan Africa, where jihadist movements are exploiting political instability and porous borders. Both Pope Leo and the U.S. State Department have condemned recent massacres in Nigeria, warning that the crisis risks spreading beyond the country\u2019s borders.
\nWalker added\u00a0\u2018The United States should always stand up for freedom of religion, and that starts with speaking the truth about what\u2019s happening.\u2019
\nWhile humanitarian groups continue to raise alarms, Nigerian officials deny that Christians are being systematically targeted. Information Minister Mohammed Idris recently told Fox News Digital that claims of mass persecution are \u2018very misleading,\u2019 rejecting U.S. reports that tens of thousands have been killed.
\nSen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, recently told Fox News Digital that \u2018since 2009, over 50,000 Christians in Nigeria have been massacred,\u2019 and \u2018over 20,000 churches and Christian schools have been destroyed.\u2019 He called the violence \u2018a crisis of religious genocide\u2019 and urged tougher U.S. action.
\nPresidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga dismissed the criticism, telling Nigeria\u2019s Daily Post, \u2018Christians are not targeted. We have religious harmony in our country.\u2019
\nDespite the political debate, the facts on the ground remain grim. Christian villages are still under attack, churches continue to burn, and millions live in fear. Western governments have issued statements but taken little tangible action to halt the killings or support survivors, said a priest from Plateau State and added, \u2018When the world stays silent, the killers return.\u2019
\nFox News\u2019 Paul Tilsley contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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