Genocide: Boko Haram, ISIS killing more Muslims than Christians, says U.S. official
Massad Boulos, a senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump on Arab and African affairs, says Boko Haram and ISIS have killed more Muslims than Christians in their attacks.
“We even know that Boko Haram and ISIS are killing more Muslims than Christians. People are suffering from all sorts of backgrounds. This is not specifically targeted at one group or the other,” he said.
Mr Boulos made the remarks in an interview on Friday, following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the sidelines of the 2025 Aqaba Process Summit in Rome, Italy.
The summit focuses on addressing insecurity across West Africa and the wider Sahel region, with leaders from Africa, the Middle East, and Europe in attendance.
Mr Boulos, who said “terrorism has no colour or religion”, called for a unified, holistic approach to combating terrorism and insecurity nationwide.
His comments follow calls by some U.S. lawmakers for sanctions on Nigeria over alleged persecution and genocidal killings of Christians and to designate it as ‘Country of Particular Concern’.
“Those who know the terrain well know that terrorism has no colour, no religion, and no tribe. “People of all religions and all tribes are dying as a result of terrorist acts, but it’s very unfortunate,” said the American diplomat.
Mr Boulos highlighted the importance of deeper U.S.-Nigeria collaboration to confront terrorism and protect civilian lives.
“However, any loss of life is one too many, and we should work together in partnership to put an end to this,” he noted.
He acknowledged that Nigeria’s North-Central has experienced deadly attacks, with many Christian casualties.
“But definitely it’s not something that we can say is specifically targeted at a specific group,” he added.
Mr Boulos described Nigeria as a diverse nation, a melting pot of ethnicities and religions coexisting within one federation. He noted recent efforts by the Tinubu administration to improve security, which he said are beginning to show results.
The envoy assured continued U.S. support for Nigeria’s security and counterterrorism efforts moving forward.
(NAN)
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