The United States and Nigeria are set to establish a joint task force to address allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria, a senior US State Department official has said.
Jonathan Pratt of the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs disclosed the development on Thursday while testifying before a congressional hearing in Washington, D.C. Pratt said the initiative follows a directive from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Earlier in the week, Nigeria dispatched a high-level delegation to Washington to discuss the allegations after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). The Nigerian team, led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, also includes the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
Pratt told lawmakers that the visiting delegation is expected to meet officials of the State Department and the Department of War, in line with President Trump’s instruction to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria.
“The secretary of state has directed us at the State Department to work with the Nigerian government on an action plan and to set up a task force to address this issue and use all of the tools at our disposal to focus minds and attention on this issue,” he said.
He noted that the strategy would be driven largely by diplomacy but would also include security cooperation, policing support, economic assistance, and other programmes aimed at tackling the concerns.
“This would span from security to policing to economic. We want to look at all of these tools and have a comprehensive strategy to get the best result possible,” Pratt added.
Jacob McGee, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour, described the CPC designation as a “conversation starter” intended to increase engagement with Abuja, adding that “ultimately, this is their responsibility.”
