A leading U.S. conservative evangelical advocacy group is calling on the Trump administration to consider sanctions against Nigeria in response to the government’s inability to thwart communal and extremist violence that has led to the deaths of thousands of Christians in recent years.
In a policy paper released last week, the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council called on the U.S. government to impose “hard-hitting sanctions” against Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and consider cutting aid to the West African country until steps are taken to address the violence routinely committed against Christian communities.
The new report, titled “The Crisis of Christian Persecution in Nigeria,” was written by FRC Senior Fellow for International Religious Freedom Lela Gilbert.
Gilbert and others working to restore religious freedom for Christians are calling on the Trump administration to appoint a State Department envoy for Nigeria as Boko Haram extremists and radical herdsmen continue to attack and kill hundreds of civilians each year, according to Christian Post.
The individual serving in this position would be responsible for making sure that violent attacks against Christians are documented accurately.
In the fiscal year 2020, the U.S. provided Nigeria with nearly half a billion dollars in foreign assistance. Gilbert’s report suggests making the foreign aid “conditional upon specific demands, such as governmental curbs on deadly attacks.”
