Massad Boulos, senior adviser to US President Donald Trumpfor Arab and African affairs, has dismissed swirling allegations of a Christiangenocide in Nigeria. Boulos spoke in Abuja on Friday when he visited PresidentBola Tinubu at the State House. Trump’s adviser’s comments come as US lawmakers haveincreasingly asked the president to impose sanctions on Nigeria as a country ofparticular concern (CPC) over an alleged persecution of Christians. But there has been no reaction from the White House over thematter. When asked about the government’s position during his visitto Tinubu, Boulos said, “Those who know the terrain well know that terrorismhas no colour and no religion and no tribe”. “People of all religions and all tribes are dying as aresult of terrorist acts, but it’s very unfortunate,” he added. “We even know that Boko Haram and ISIS are killing moreMuslims than Christians. People are suffering from all sorts of backgrounds. Thisis not specifically targeted about one group or the other. “However, any loss of life is one too many, and we shouldwork together in partnership to put an end to this.” The US envoy noted that Nigeria’s middle belt has witnesseddeadly clashes between farmers and herders, with many of the farmer casualtiesbeing Christians. “But definitely it’s not something that we can say isspecifically targeted about a specific group,” he added. Boulos described Nigeria as a melting pot of differentethnic and religious groups, stressing an almost even split between Christiansand Muslims. “This has never been a serious religious issue and shouldnot be,” he said. The US official said the Tinubu-led administration hasrecently taken additional measures to tackle insecurity, yielding improvements. He said the US welcomed the moves and would continue to workwith Nigeria to ensure success.
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