Trump’s framing of Nigeria insurgency as a war on Christians risks undermining interfaith peacebuilding

President Donald Trump described a Dec. 25 airstrike on suspected insurgent camps as a ‘Christmas present’ from the US. Many in Nigeria are not viewing it as such.

By: Aili Mari Tripp, University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 28, 2026

Words: 1,298

Last Updated: 1 month, 2 weeks ago

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By Aili Mari Tripp, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Nigeria “must do more to protect Christians,” a senior U.S. State Department official demanded on Jan. 22, 2026, during a high-level security meeting in the African nation’s capital, Abuja.

The comment followed an attack just days earlier in which more than 160 worshipers were kidnapped from three churches in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna state.

The security meeting came a month after the United States, in cooperation with the …

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