United States President Donald Trump has revised his previous statements on religious violence in Nigeria, acknowledging that Muslims are also being killed in the country.
Trump made the remarks during an interview with The New York Times, published on Thursday, following questions about Washington’s Christmas Day military strike in Nigeria.
The operation targeted elements of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a Boko Haram splinter group responsible for years of attacks across northern Nigeria.
The U.S. military said the strike was conducted at the request of the Nigerian government.
When asked about prior statements from his Africa adviser, who had claimed that extremist groups were killing more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria, Trump responded: “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians.”
The comments come amid ongoing debates over the scale and nature of religiously-motivated violence in Nigeria.
Analysts note that Nigeria has continued to witness attacks by Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other armed groups in the northern and central regions, affecting both Muslim and Christian communities.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics and independent monitoring groups, thousands of Nigerians have been killed in the past decade due to extremist violence, with attacks targeting schools, places of worship, and local communities.
Humanitarian organizations warn that the persistent violence exacerbates displacement, food insecurity, and poverty across affected states.
Trump’s statement is likely to rekindle international attention on Nigeria’s security challenges, as the U.S. and other foreign partners continue to provide military support and intelligence cooperation to the Nigerian government.
Nigeria has recorded a surge in security operations in the northwest and northeast, aimed at curbing the activities of ISWAP and Boko Haram. Despite these efforts, local populations remain vulnerable, with both Christians and Muslims falling victim to extremist attacks.
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