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.
Also speaking at the hearing, Frank Garcia, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, said the State Department had been working intensively with Nigerian officials to address the persecution of Christian communities and ensure that those responsible for the attacks were held accountable.
Garcia, however, acknowledged that despite the diplomatic engagements and efforts to work with the Nigerian government, the violence had persisted.
Meanwhile, Riley Moore, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, said the level of progress recorded by Nigeria was insufficient to justify removing the country from the CPC list.
Moore maintained that Nigeria should retain the designation until the government demonstrates greater commitment and takes more effective measures to address attacks against Christian communities.
“We cannot take this CPC designation off this country. They have not done enough,” he said.
He also called for close monitoring of Nigeria’s forthcoming presidential elections, stressing the need for the United States to pay particular attention to developments surrounding the polls.
“We need to be watching these (Nigeria) presidential elections like a hawk. And I’m going to be watching them,” Moore said.
In his remarks, Smith said the US Congress would consider what additional measures might be necessary to bring an end to the violence and prevent further atrocities against Christian communities in Nigeria.
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