Nigeria on Sunday prompt a gathering between its president and US counterpart Donald Trump, after the US chief threatened army motion over what he described as a menace to Nigerian Christians by jihadists.
In an explosive put up, Trump stated on social media on Saturday that he requested the Pentagon to map out a potential plan of assault in Nigeria, at some point after warning that Christianity was “going through an existential menace” in Africa’s most populous nation.
Nigeria, which is sort of evenly divided between a Muslim-majority north and a largely Christian south, is embroiled in quite a few conflicts that specialists say have killed each Christians and Muslims with out distinction.
In his put up, Trump stated that if Nigeria doesn’t stem the killings, the USA will assault and “will probably be quick, vicious, and candy, identical to the terrorist thugs assault our CHERISHED Christians”.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s spokesman Daniel Bwala, advised AFP on Sunday that “Nigeria is US’s associate within the international battle towards terrorism. When leaders meet there can be higher outcomes.”
“Nigeria welcomes US assist to battle terrorism so long as it respects our territorial integrity,” he stated.
“We don’t see the (Trump’s social media put up) within the literal sense,” he stated.
“We all know that Donald Trump has his personal model of communication,” he stated, suggesting the put up was a option to “power a sit-down between the 2 leaders to allow them to iron out a standard entrance to battle their insecurity”.
Earlier Bwala had prompt in a put up on X that the 2 leaders might meet quickly.
“As for the variations as as to if terrorists in Nigeria goal solely Christians or the truth is all faiths and no faiths, the variations in the event that they exist, can be mentioned and resolved by the 2 leaders after they meet within the coming days, both in State Home or White Home”.
Bwala, who was talking on the telephone from Washington, declined to reveal particulars of any potential assembly.
Trump posted on Friday, with out proof, that “hundreds of Christians are being killed (and) Radical Islamists are liable for this mass slaughter.”
Nigeria has denied that Christians have been focused by jihadist assaults greater than different faiths.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously illiberal doesn’t mirror our nationwide actuality,” Tinubu stated on social media Saturday.
America on Friday designated Nigeria as a rustic of specific concern after Trump expressed concern that Christianity faces an existential menace within the West African nation, with loads of Christians being killed.
