Hegseth calls on Nigeria to curb violence against Christians
In a meeting, the Secretary of War called on the African country's National Security Advisor to "take urgent and lasting action."
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth
(AFP) Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, met with Nigeria's National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and urged Africa's most populous country to take steps to curb violence against Christians, the Pentagon said Friday.
Hegseth called on Nigeria to "take urgent and lasting action to stop violence against Christians," according to the Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell.
Washington wants to work with Abuja "to deter and neutralize terrorists who threaten the United States," he added in a statement.
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Thursday's meeting between Hegseth and Ribadu at the Pentagon came after President Donald Trump claimed that Christianity faces an "existential threat" in Nigeria, and warned that if that country does not stop the killings, the United States will strike and "it will be swift, brutal and forceful."
Nigeria, with 230 million people, is almost evenly divided between a predominantly Christian south and a Muslim-majority north. It is the scene of numerous conflicts, including jihadist insurgencies, which kill Christians and Muslims, often indiscriminately.
Clashes between herders, mostly Muslims, and farmers, mostly Christians, in clashes over land and resources, particularly water, are also common.
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