The United States says it will partner with the Nigerian government to develop a joint task force aimed at addressing allegations of Christian p+rsecution in the country.
Jonathan Pratt, a senior official at the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, disclosed this on Thursday while testifying at a congressional hearing held in Washington, DC. Pratt said the move follows a directive from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Earlier this week, Nigeria sent a high-level delegation to the US to discuss the allegations after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC).
The delegation is led by National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu and includes Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi.
Pratt told lawmakers that the Nigerian team is scheduled to meet with State Department officials as well as officials from the Department of War, following 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 that are at our disposal to focus minds and focus attention on this issue,” Pratt said.
He explained that the strategy would be largely diplomatic but would also involve security cooperation, policing, economic assistance, and other support programmes.
“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,” he added.
Jacob McGee, deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour, described the CPC designation as a “conversation starter” that is expected to increase engagement with Nigeria, noting that “ultimately, this is their responsibility.”
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