ABUJA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Nigeria said on Sunday it would welcome U.S. help in fighting Islamist insurgents as long as its territorial integrity is respected, responding to threats of military action by President Donald Trump over what he said was the ill-treatment of Christians in the West African country. Trump said on Saturday he had asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible "fast" military action in Nigeria if Africa's most populous country fails to crack down on the killing of Christians.
"We welcome U.S. assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity," Daniel Bwala, an adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, told Reuters.
Bwala sought to play down tensions between the two states, despite Trump calling Nigeria a "disgraced country". "I am sure by the time these two leaders meet and sit, there would be better outcomes in our joint resolve to fight terrorism," he said.
ISLAMIST INSURGENTS WREAK HAVOC FOR YEARS
Nigeria, a country of more than 200 million people and around 200 ethnic groups, is divided between the largely Muslim north and mostly Christian south.
Islamist insurgents such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have wrought havoc in the country for more than 15 years, killing thousands of people, but their attacks have been largely confined to the northeast of the country, which is majority Muslim.
While Christians have been killed, the vast majority of the victims have been Muslims, analysts say. In central Nigeria there have been frequent clashes between mostly Muslim herders and mainly Christian farmers over access to water and pasture, while in the northwest of the country, gunmen routinely attack villages, kidnapping residents for ransom.
VIOLENCE 'DEVASTATES ENTIRE COMMUNITIES'
"Insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa often present their campaigns as anti-Christian, but in practice their violence is indiscriminate and devastates entire communities," said Ladd Serwat, senior Africa analyst at U.S. crisis-monitoring group ACLED. "Islamist violence is part of the complex and often overlapping conflict dynamics in the country over political power, land disputes, ethnicity, cult affiliation, and banditry," he said.
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigeria-welcomes-us-assistance-fight-terrorism-presidency-spokesperson-says-2025-11-02/
@moonbus saidPast US president's were stupid. This is Trump. Go in, get the job done, gtfo. No fixing. No repairs. Not even an apology.
@Rajk999
Getting into war is easy; getting out is hard. Korea, VietNam, Iraq, Afghanistan --- America's record since WWII does not bode well, neither for America nor the 'host' country.
Oh yeah, there was Granada in 1983 ...
@wildgrass saidUsing Gaza as an example...
Get the job done without fixing any thing? Fire that contractor.
Get the job done would be to finish Hamas, and leave
Not fixing anything would be to get out and let them rebuild on their own.
@moonbus saidThe president does not plan military operations. I think that is the responsibility of the Dept of Defense.
The current president has much less experience of diplomacy than previous presidents. I have no confidence that he understands how to plan a military operation.
There is a time to talk and a time to act. Becuase of the rampant killings of Christians in Nigeria for over 15 years, the time to talk has long gone. Clearly diplomacy is a failure.
@Earl-of-Trumps saidBetter then doing nothing for over 15 years.
I don't know if I go for this at all. 'Don't worry Christians... I'll save ya"
@Rajk999 saidA president has to set a clear and realizable objective and above all an exit strategy; military advisors are responsible for logistics. Trump can't even complete a grammatically correct sentence any more; I seriously doubt he can think through a military campaign. He has shown no leadership skills; all he does is waffle about making America great while thrashing about with erratic destruction. His performance in the Ukraine war has been an embarrassing series of dithers, no leadership at all--one week praising Putin and denying Selensky weaponry, next week he flipflops.
The president does not plan military operations. I think that is the responsibility of the Dept of Defense.
There is a time to talk and a time to act. Becuase of the rampant killings of Christians in Nigeria for over 15 years, the time to talk has long gone. Clearly diplomacy is a failure.
@Earl-of-Trumps saidIt's nothing to do with saving Christians; that's Jesus's job to do. This sabre rattling about Nigeria -- Nigeria?? you gotta be kidding--is nothing but distraction from the Epstein case. "Busy giddy minds in foreign wars," as Shakespeare said.
I don't know if I go for this at all. 'Don't worry Christians... I'll save ya"
@moonbus saidNot interested in your obsession with Trump. This thread is about Nigerian Muslims killing Christians, and Trump going in to end it.
A president has to set a clear and realizable objective and above all an exit strategy; military advisors are responsible for logistics. Trump can't even complete a grammatically correct sentence any more; I seriously doubt he can think through a military campaign. He has shown no leadership skills; all he does is waffle about making America great while thrashing about with e ...[text shortened]... no leadership at all--one week praising Putin and denying Selensky weaponry, next week he flipflops.
Got a comment relevant to the topic?
@moonbus saidGod/Jesus is sending Trump in to fix it. Apparently you dont like seeing things getting fixed.
It's nothing to do with saving Christians; that's Jesus's job to do. This sabre rattling about Nigeria -- Nigeria?? you gotta be kidding--is nothing but distraction from the Epstein case. "Busy giddy minds in foreign wars," as Shakespeare said.