YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Some Republican U.S. senators have again expressed disappointment with the U.S. State Department for its refusal to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
In a March 6 letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Senators Josh Hawley, Marco Rubio and Mike Braun said the killing of Christians in Nigeria continues to defy basic morality.
The senators noted that “the horrific massacre of Nigerian Christians around Christmas Day” should have spurred Blinken to act, but the diplomat “once again failed to seize the moment.”
“We remain very concerned about the deterioration of religious freedom in Nigeria and the continued failure of your ministry to respond appropriately using the tools at your disposal,” the letter said.
“During a Christmas season that should have been filled with joy and peace, Christians in several Nigerian farming villages faced one of the deadliest massacres in the country’s recent history. From December 23 to 25, 2023, Islamic extremists murdered at least 140 people, including women and children, and countless others injured and displaced as a result of this senseless violence. This was a targeted attack carried out with shocking brutality,” the letter said.
Noting that violence against Christians is endemic in Nigeria, the senators cited reports suggesting that around 5,000 Nigerian Christians have been murdered in religiously motivated violence in each of the past two years.
On April 11, 2023, the Catholic-inspired NGO International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) said that 52,250 Christians had been killed in Nigeria since 2009, when Boko Haram insurgents began their murderous campaign to establish a caliphate across the country. Sahel.
According to the statement, 34,000 moderate Muslims were also killed.
“30,250 of them have been killed since 2015, when President Muhammadu Buhari came to power,” highlighting the government’s desire for Islamization. Nigeria, a country of 222 million people, is divided almost equally between Christians and Muslims.
The recent letter from US senators is similar to one addressed to Blinken in 2022, urging the administration to immediately reinstate Nigeria as a country of particular concern due to the country’s worsening persecution of Christians. A year earlier, the US State Department removed Nigeria from this list.
The pressure exerted by the senators was welcomed by leading Catholic voices in Nigeria.
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), said: Node that it was “gratifying” to see US senators denouncing their own government for its lethargy over the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” he said.
“We commend U.S. senators, especially Republicans, for their courage, impartiality and conscience in shouldering this moral responsibility.”
Some analysts have suggested that the Biden administration, like Obama’s, could support Nigeria’s corrupt regime to secure the means to exert influence across West Africa.
Nigeria occupies a crucial position in the geopolitical landscape, serving as a pivot to influence neighboring countries. Both the United States and China view Nigeria as a strategic ally, seeking access to other countries through its gates.
Umeagbalasi said that as Americans go to the polls in November, the killing of Nigerian Christians could become a major talking point.
“The issue of the killing of Christians in Nigeria should become a strategic campaign issue. I believe that when Republicans take a public stand on the issue of the killing of Christians in Nigeria and make it a key foreign policy issue for their candidate, that candidate alone has the ability to attract millions of votes for the Republican and conversely, diminish the popularity of the Biden administration,” he said. Node.
He said that if Donald Trump ultimately wins a second term, the issue of persecution of Christians could be central to his foreign policy goals.
“If Donald Trump comes to power, there will definitely be a major change in US policy towards Nigeria regarding the killing of Christians,” Emeka said.
