US President Donald Trump has ordered the preparation of plans for military action in Nigeria to tackle Islamist militant groups, accusing the government of not doing enough to halt the killing of Christians.
Trump did not say which killings he was referring to, but claims of a genocide against Nigeria's Christians have been circulating in recent weeks and months in some right-wing US circles.
Groups monitoring violence say there is no evidence to suggest that Christians are being killed more than Muslims in Nigeria, which is roughly evenly divided between followers of the two religions.
The government of Africa's most populous nation has not responded to the threat of US military action.
However, Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu insisted that there was religious tolerance in the country and said the security challenges were affecting people across faiths and regions.
Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday that he had instructed the US Department of War to prepare for possible action; he warned that he might send the military into Nigeria guns-a-blazing unless the Nigerian government intervened, and that all aid to the country would be cut.
He added: If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!
Trump earlier announced that he had declared Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern because of the existential threat posed to its Christian population. He stated thousands had been killed, without providing any evidence.
This designation is used by the US State Department to impose sanctions against countries engaged in severe violations of religious freedom.
Following this announcement, Tinubu stated his government was committed to working with the US and the international community to protect communities of all faiths.
The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, the Nigerian leader said in a statement.
Jihadist groups, such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, have caused significant turmoil in north-eastern Nigeria for over a decade, with most victims being Muslims, according to Acled, a group analyzing political violence.
In central Nigeria, there are frequent clashes between mostly Muslim herders and farming groups, often Christian, over access to resources, leading to cycles of violence and numerous casualties on both sides, with human rights groups stating no evidence suggests Christians are disproportionately targeted.
Trump has frequently expressed his reluctance to involve the U.S. in military conflicts during his administration, positioning himself as a peacemaker, yet faces pressure from right-wing voices drawing attention to Nigeria's religious violence issue.
