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African Union denies Christian genocide in Nigeria in response to US claims

On November 1, US President Donald Trump announced that he had instructed the Pentagon to prepare possible military measures against "Islamic terrorists" in Nigeria to protect Christians

HARARE, November 13. /TASS/. African Union Commission (AUC) Chairman Mahamoud Ali Youssouf denied US President Donald Trump’s claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria.

"There is no Christian genocide in northern Nigeria," he said, as quoted by The Daily Somalia. "The majority of Boko Haram [Islamic extremist group] victims are Muslim, not Christian. I have documented evidence to support this. That is why the African Union clearly indicates that what is happening in northern Nigeria is not a Christian genocide, it is much more complicated,"he added.

On November 1, President Trump announced that he had instructed the Pentagon to prepare possible military measures against "Islamic terrorists" in Nigeria to protect Christians. Earlier, he claimed that Christians in Nigeria were subjected to an existential threat and promised to protect them. That same day, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu denied Trump’s accusations, saying that the portrayal of Nigeria as a country of religious intolerance does not reflect reality and ignores the measures taken by the authorities to protect freedom of religion and conscience for all Nigerians. According to him, Abuja maintains an open and active dialogue with Christian and Islamic leaders and continues to address security challenges that threaten citizens regardless of their religious background.

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