Abuja. Nigerians across the religious spectrum yesterday rejected US President Donald Trump’s threats to intervene militarily in the wake of alleged killings of Christians in the country.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is virtually divided between a predominantly Christian southern half and a predominantly Muslim northern half. Its territory is the scene of many conflicts, in which, according to experts, both Christians and Muslims lose their lives.
But reports of a “persecution” of Christians in Nigeria found much echo on the European and American right in recent weeks.
“Christians are being killed, we cannot deny the fact that Muslims [también] are being murdered,” said Danjuma Dickson Auta, a Christian community leader.
Trump stated this weekend, on social media, that he had asked the Pentagon to plan a possible attack plan.
When asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One whether he was considering deploying troops on the ground or resorting to aerial bombardments, Trump replied: “It could be, I mean, a lot of things; I’m contemplating a lot of things.”
“They are killing Christians, and they are killing them in large numbers. We are not going to allow that to happen,” he added.
In recent years, Plateau and other states in Nigeria’s “middle belt” have been the scene of deadly clashes between farmers, mostly Christians, and ranchers from the Fulani ethnic group (also called “Peul”), Muslims, over land and resources.
Although violence is often blamed for ethnic and religious reasons, experts say the root of the problem lies in poor land management and policing in rural areas.
