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Nigeria announced Monday it has secured strengthened security cooperation with the United States, including enhanced intelligence sharing and expedited access to American defense equipment, while firmly rejecting allegations that Christians face systematic persecution in the west African nation.
The expanded partnership follows threats by US President Donald Trump in early November to intervene militarily over claims that radical Islamists were "killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers" in Nigeria. A high-level Nigerian delegation traveled to Washington last week to address American concerns and clarify the nature of violence plaguing Africa's most populous country.
"Following these engagements, the United States Government affirmed its readiness to deepen security cooperation with Nigeria," said Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the Nigerian president, in a statement Monday. The cooperation includes enhanced intelligence support, expedited processing of defense equipment requests and the "potential provision of excess defence articles."
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During meetings with senior US officials, the Nigerian delegation led by national security adviser Nuhu Ribadu pushed back against characterizations of religiously motivated genocide. The delegation "refuted allegations of genocide" against Christians, "emphasising that violent attacks affect families and communities across religious and ethnic lines," according to the statement.
Nigerian authorities argued that portraying the violence as targeted persecution misrepresents conditions on the ground in the religiously diverse nation, where both Christians and Muslims have fallen victim to various armed groups. The delegation "strongly rejected wrongful framing of the situation, saying such would only divide Nigerians and distort the realities on the ground."
Claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria have nonetheless gained significant traction among right-wing circles in the United States and Europe in recent months, creating diplomatic pressure on the Nigerian government.
Nigeria faces intersecting security challenges that have destabilized large portions of the country. A jihadist insurgency in the northeast has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced approximately two million since erupting in 2009. The violence has spread across borders into Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the creation of a regional military force to combat the militants.
Separately, criminal "bandit" gangs operating in the northwest have terrorized communities through mass kidnappings, village raids and killings. These groups, motivated primarily by profit rather than ideology, have further stretched Nigerian security forces.
The US Department of Defense said Friday that the two countries discussed ways to end violence against Christians and strengthen efforts against jihadist groups that have destabilized much of the region. The meetings represent a diplomatic effort to align American and Nigerian perspectives on the nature of the threats and the appropriate response.
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