The House Committees on Appropriations and Foreign Affairs of the United States Congress have recommended a series of measures aimed at addressing what they described as the “persecution of Christians” in Nigeria.
The recommendations followed the formal submission of a report to the White House outlining the committees’ findings and proposals. The submission came after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), a classification used by the United States government for countries accused of engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.
In the report released on Monday by committee chairman Riley Moore, lawmakers proposed several steps which they said were necessary to address the alleged crisis and strengthen security and religious liberty protections.
One of the key recommendations urged Nigeria to distance itself from Russia in the security sphere, including divesting from Russian military hardware and instead procuring U.S. defence equipment through sales and financing arrangements.
The committees also proposed negotiating a sweeping bilateral agreement between Washington and Abuja focused on protecting vulnerable Christian communities, dismantling jihadist terror networks, and countering Chinese and Russian influence in Nigeria.
Additionally, the report suggested blocking beef and other cattle-related exports to certain countries as a means of compelling Fulani herdsmen to disarm, amid reports of attacks on Christian communities in parts of the country.
While the report outlines policy recommendations, it remains unclear what specific actions the White House may take in response. Nigerian authorities have yet to officially react to the proposals as of the time of filing this report.
