Donald Trump orders military to prepare plans for “action” in Nigeria

US President Donald Trump has ordered plans for military action in Nigeria to deal with Islamist groups, accusing the government of not doing enough to stop the killing of Christians.

Trump did not say which killings he was referring to, but allegations of genocide against Christians in Nigeria have circulated in recent weeks and months in some right-wing circles in the US.

Groups monitoring the violence say there is no evidence to suggest Christians are being killed more than Muslims in Nigeria, which is roughly evenly split between followers of the two faiths.

The government of Africa’s most populous country has not responded to the threat of US military action.

However, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu insisted there was religious tolerance in the country and said security challenges affected people “of different faiths and regions”.

Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday that he had instructed the US War Department to prepare for “possible action”.

He warned he could send the military into Nigeria “guns blazing” unless the Nigerian government stepped in and said all aid to what he called the “now disgraced country” would be cut.

Trump added: “If we attack, it will be fast, nasty and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs are attacking our SORRY Christians!”

Trump earlier announced that he had designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” because of the “existential threat” posed by its Christian population. He said “thousands” had been killed without providing any evidence.

This is a designation used by the US State Department that provides for sanctions against countries “engaged in serious violations of religious freedom.”

Following the announcement, Tinubu said his government was committed to working with the US and the international community to protect communities of all faiths.

“Characterizing Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” the Nigerian leader said in a statement.

Jihadi groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have been wreaking havoc in northeastern Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands of people — but most of them Muslim, according to Acled, a group that analyzes political violence around the world.

In central Nigeria, there are also frequent clashes between mainly Muslim herders and farming groups, who are often Christian, over access to water and grazing land.

Deadly cycles of “eye of evil” attacks have also left thousands dead, but atrocities have been committed on both sides and rights groups say there is no evidence Christians have been disproportionately targeted.

Trump has often expressed satisfaction that he has not dragged the US into war during his tenure and portrayed himself as a peacemaker.

But the Republican leader is facing a growing number of voices in the country, especially from the political right, who are calling attention to the situation in Nigeria.

Additional reporting by Chris Evokor in Abuja