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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Guardian staff and agencies

Why has Trump ordered strikes in Nigeria and what has it got to do with the persecution of Christians?

Christian worshippers leaving a church in Abuja, Nigeria
A church in Abuja. Nigeria is officially secular but is divided almost evenly between Muslims (53%) and Christians (45%). Photograph: Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters

After spending weeks accusing Nigeria’s government of failing to tackle the persecution of Christians, Donald Trump announced a series of strikes on the west African country on Christmas Day.

The strikes, targeting Islamic State militants in the country’s north, mark the latest overseas military intervention from Trump, who campaigned on a promise to extricate the US from decades of “endless wars” during his 2024 run for president.

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