WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has opened the door for sanctions to be imposed on Nigeria for allegedly failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in the West African country.
Trump announced Friday that he would designate Nigeria “a country of particular concern” as it relates to religious freedom, a move that had been pushed by some U.S. lawmakers.
The designation does not necessarily mean that sanctions, which could include a ban on all non-humanitarian aid, will be imposed, but it is one step ahead of that.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump said in a social media post. “Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.’”
The Nigerian government vehemently rejects the claims, and analysts say that while Christians are among those targeted, the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur.
Trump said he would be asking several U.S. lawmakers to look into the matter and report back on what the response to the designation should be.
“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!” Trump said.
Designating a “country of particular concern” under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act is an executive prerogative that normally follows recommendations from both the congressionally mandated U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and the State Department.
The State Department usually releases its annual Report on International Religious Freedom in the spring, but has not yet done so this year. The report may or may not include “particular concern” designations, which can be done at any time. And, such designations, which authorize U.S. penalties, do not necessarily impose sanctions.
Source: AP News
