United States (U.S ) says Nigerians and their family members involved in mass killings and violence against Christians in the country, will be sanctioned and there will be visas restrictions imposed on them
The U.S. State Department said Wednesday. , that the attacks on the community are part of a longstanding and extremely complex security crisis in Nigeria.
President Trump also said he has ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria following the claims of Christian persecution.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement posted on X, “the United States is taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and violence against Christians by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani ethnic militias, and other violent actors in Nigeria and beyond,”
He added that the policy would apply to other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom, and that the restrictions are in line with a new policy under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The move follows the designation of Nigeria by the U.S. as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act last month.
The. new policy under … the Immigration and Nationality Act will allow the State Department to restrict visa issuance to individuals who have directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom and, where appropriate, their immediate family members,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Rubio added the Trump administration is “taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and violence against Christians by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani ethnic militias, and other violent actors in Nigeria and beyond.”
“This policy will apply to Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom,” he wrote.
The development comes weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to send US forces into Nigeria if Africa’s most populous country did not stem what he described as the killing of Christians by terrorists. Trump also declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over killings of Christians, describing the
It wasn´t immediately clear how Wednesday´s policy would be implemented, as the State Department already has the ability to restrict travel to the U.S. by those involved in human rights abuses.
Apart from Nigeria, the list of nations designated as “countries of particular concern” includes China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Attacks in Nigeria are religiously motivated ones( targeting both Christians and Muslims), as well as clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups, and ethnic clashes.
