A persecution watchdog is speaking out about President Donald Trump’s decision to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, a label that could help put pressure on the Nigerian government to help protect Christians under duress.
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Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications at Christian Solidarity International, told CBN News that Nigeria was previously placed on the U.S. State Department’s Countries of Particular Concern list and was later removed by the Biden administration.
The nation’s redesignation is welcomed by Veldkamp, who explained its significance.
“There’s a law from 1998 called the International Religious Freedom Act that requires the U.S. government to maintain a list of countries that commit or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom,” he said. “And, once a country is on that list, the U.S. government is required to address those violations of religious freedom, including by economic sanctions, if necessary. Sadly, this list is quite political.”
Veldkamp said there are nations that deserve to be on the list that aren’t and that Nigeria was one such country.
“More Christians are killed in Nigeria for their faith every year than in the rest of the world combined,” he said. “And, yet, somehow Nigeria is not on this list. As the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said, ‘This is unexplainable.’ So it’s a long-overdue step that the president has put it back on the list.”
Veldkamp said experts are waiting to see what Trump will do next. The president released a statement Nov. 1 on his Truth Social account threatening to take action if Nigeria doesn’t take steps to protect Christians.
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“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” he said. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”
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