US say attacks on Christians persist in Nigeria despite CPC designation

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The United States has said violence against Christians in Nigeria has continued unabated, one year after President Donald Trump ...

The United States has said violence against Christians in Nigeria has continued unabated, one year after President Donald Trump redesignated the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over religious freedom violations.

The officials made the assessment on Thursday during a congressional hearing convened by the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa to examine Nigeria’s response to attacks on vulnerable communities since the designation.

The hearing was chaired by Chris Smith, Chairman of the Subcommittee, who described the CPC designation as a wake-up call for the Nigerian government to take urgent action to protect religious communities, particularly Christians, targeted by armed groups.

Smith said the designation was intended to compel Nigeria to address attacks on religious believers, particularly Christians, who had suffered brutal violence at the hands of ethnic Fulani militias and terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Riley Barnes, the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, acknowledged that the Nigerian government had taken proactive measures to address the violence.

However, he said those efforts had yet to translate into improved security and safety for Christian communities in the country’s Middle Belt.

“While we have seen proactive steps taken by the Nigerian government, we have not seen that equal or turn into actual on-the-ground greater safety and security for these Christians in the Middle Belt,” Barnes said.

He expressed concern over the continued increase in deaths and kidnappings, indicating that the US government would continue to assess Nigeria’s actions rather than rely solely on assurances from its officials.

“There are still rising death tolls and kidnappings. So, I think we have this posture of trust but verify,” he added.

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