Donald Trump clearly wants to be known as a peacemaker – someone who can do what Joe Biden couldn’t and put an end to international conflicts. So, how’s he currently going about being the new Prince of Peace? Well, he’s threatening to invade Nigeria with the full might of the U.S. military and come in “guns-a-blazing”.
Very peaceful, Mr President! Trump’s fury was caused by claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria by Islamic militants, prompting him to instruct Pete Hegseth’s newly christened Department of War to begin preparations for invasion. As he said:
If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, “guns-a-blazing,” to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!
The Nigerian government has already pushed back against Trump’s claims, insisting that it already protects Christians from persecution. As Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu said:
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.”
Kimiebi Ebienfa, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also underlined that America is not wanted:
“The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion. Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength.”
How would this work?
But if Trump is serious, what would American military intervention in Nigeria look like? The most likely course of action would be a series of air and drone strikes on known Islamic militant camps, with Trump likely doing everything in his power to avoid putting American boots on the ground.
Even Trump knows that a large-scale invasion of Nigeria is utterly implausible – the country is roughly the size of Texas, the terrain is extremely variable, and opposing fighters would have a huge home advantage. An actual ground campaign would stand a decent chance of being America’s next Vietnam.
It should also be noted that the United States already has military involvement with Nigeria to combat Islamic militants, comprising drone surveillance support and training and the sale of 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft in 2017. So maybe this is all bluster from Trump, intended to excite evangelicals rather than a declaration of war.
But, as always with Trump, who even knows? Maybe we will see American boots on the ground as Hegseth takes the fight to Boko Haram. Stranger things have happened!
