Gregory W. Meeks and Sara Jacobs, two prominent members of the US Congress, have denounced President Donald Trump’s threat to launch a military operation in Nigeria due to claims of Christian genocide.
Meeks, a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Jacobs, a ranking member of the Africa Subcommittee, called Trump’s remarks “irresponsible and reckless” in a joint statement.
The Trump administration’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” was also rejected by the senators, who claimed that it oversimplifies the complicated nature of violence in the nation.
“The classification misses the fact that land rivalry and resource scarcity, rather than religion, are generally the driving forces behind conflicts between farmers and herders. Both Christians and Muslims have been targeted by terrorist organizations, particularly in northern Nigeria, where villages are still being attacked by criminal gangs known as bandits, according to the statement.
Noting that “all Nigerians deserve protection,” they praised President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to advance interfaith unity and strengthen security.
Meeks and Jacobs further denounced as a “reckless response to distorted facts” Trump’s vow to use force to “defend Christians.”
“President Trump’s threat of military action is exceedingly reckless. Threatening to intervene is a whole different matter from offering security support. The congressmen warned that such rhetoric runs the risk of drawing the US into yet another needless battle.
The congressmen cautioned that Trump’s request to stop U.S. aid to Nigeria would harm important development and humanitarian initiatives.
