The United States has strongly condemned the recent wave of brutal attacks on Christians in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa, calling the violence horrific and pledging to work with international partners to address the crisis.
The condemnation follows a series of deadly incidents in recent weeks, including the massacre of 27 Christians in Bindi Ta-hoss Village by Islamist Fulani militants.
The Donald Trump administration, through both the White House and the State Department, has vowed to respond decisively. “The Trump administration condemns in the strongest terms this horrific violence against Christians,” the White House said, emphasising that religious freedom is both a moral duty and a U.S. foreign policy priority.
Also, a State Department Spokesperson told Fox News: “The Department of State is working closely with the White House to identify opportunities to further bring religious freedom around the world.
“Religious freedom for all people worldwide is a moral and national security imperative and a U.S. foreign policy priority. As President Trump has stated, the United States will vigorously promote this freedom.”
Meanwhile, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has accused the Nigerian government of a slow response to cases of violence unleashed by non-state actors, by jihadists in different parts of the country.
In a new report, the Commission, an independent, bipartisan U.S. agency created to monitor, analyse, and report on religious freedom violations around the world, stated that religious communities are facing systematic and egregious violations of their ability to practise their faith freely, with the prosecution and imprisonment of individuals perceived to have insulted religion.
Those targeted, the report said, included Christians, Muslims, traditional practitioners, and humanists.
The Guardian
