US President Donald Trump justifies airstrikes was launched this week against Islamic State (IS) targets in Nigeria, in response to an alleged “massacre” of Christians that culminated in bombings in the northwest of the African country on Christmas Day.
Trump, from his private residence in Florida where he is spending the Christmas holidays, wrote a message on social networks announcing that the United States had launched a “powerful and deadly” attack against IS camps in northwest Nigeria. Hours later, Nigerian authorities confirmed that the bombings had been carried out jointly.
Why did you bomb Nigeria?
Trump presented the offensive against Nigeria as a response to Islamist militants whom he accuses of having murdered Christians, which he denounces without providing proof.
“Previously, I warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the massacre of Christians, all hell would break looseand this evening there were some,” announced the Republican on the afternoon of December 25.
Already in November, Trump had denounced, without giving further details, the alleged “massacre” of Christians in Nigeriaafter which he designated the country in the “concerning” category – reserved for nations involved in “serious violations of religious freedom” – and threatened possible military intervention.
The Republican He did not specify which attacks he was referring to.Nor has he shared data to support the claim, made by several of his political allies, that Nigeria’s Christians are facing “genocide.”
After these warnings, the United States chose a symbolic dateon Christmas Day, to launch their attack.
The attacks took place in the northwest of the country, in an area border area with Niger where ISIS operates.
More than a dozen Tomahawk missiles were fired from a US Navy ship deployed in the Gulf of Guinea, causing the death of “several” victims in Sokoto Stateaccording to an initial assessment by the US Africa Command.
What does the Nigerian government say?
Nigerian authorities confirmed, hours after Trump’s announcement, that the attack It was carried out jointly with the United States.
“The attacks relied on reliable information and careful operational planning, with the aim of weaken the operational capacity of terroristswhile minimizing collateral damage,” explained the spokesperson for the armed forces, Lieutenant General Samaila Uba, in a press release.
However, the Nigerian government has rejected accusations of a “massacre” of Christians, stressing that the network of violent armed groups, with diverse motivations and widespread throughout the country, are murdering as many Muslims as Christians.
Gun violence has soared in recent months in the region and among insurgent groups linked to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda They have intensified their attacks against military and civilian targets, regardless of their beliefs.
North-eastern Nigeria is suffering attacks from jihadist group Boko Haram since 2009, violence which worsened from 2016 with the emergence of its dissident group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Boko Haram and ISWAP They killed more than 35,000 people – many of whom are Muslims – and have caused the displacement of some 2.7 million people within the country, particularly in Nigeria, but also in neighboring countries such as Cameroon, Chad and Niger, according to official data.
What does Nicki Minaj have to do with this?
Trump found an ally in rapper Nicki Minaj for his campaign accusations against the alleged persecution of Christians in the African country.
At an event hosted by the United States Mission to the United Nations in November, the rapper, known for her music and provocative style, allied with the Trump administration in this matter.
“I want to thank President Donald Trump for prioritizing this issue and showing leadership on the world stage by calling for urgent action to defend Nigerian Christianscombat extremism and end violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to religious freedom,” the artist said.
Minaj, born in Trinidad and Tobago but a naturalized American, has generally stayed out of politics, but she is now one of the few artists to They gave their public support to Trump.
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