US Response on Nigeria Violence | 15 Nov 2025

Source: IE 

The US President criticised Nigeria for failing to protect Christians from violence (Plateau, Benue, and Kaduna states), warning of possible aid cuts and military action, triggering diplomatic and political debate. 

• Insecurity in Nigeria stems from terrorist insurgencies like Boko Haram, communal land–water conflicts, and criminal banditry, all intensified by poverty, weak governance, and climate change. 
  • This mirrors wider Sahel instability—in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad—where Islamist groups, ethnic tensions, and climate stress drive conflict and weaken state authority. 

Nigeria 

• Location: Nigeria is located on the western coast of Africa and is often called the Giant of Africa because of its size, population, and economic influence on the continent.  
  • It shares borders with Niger to the north, Chad and Cameroon to the east, the Gulf of Guinea to the south, and Benin to the west. 
• Population and Economy: Nigeria has the world’s 6th largest population and Africa’s largest, and it ranks as the 4th largest economy in Africa. 
• Rivers and Drainage: Nigeria’s main drainage basins are the Niger–Benue, Lake Chad, and the Gulf of Guinea. The Niger River and its major tributary, the Benue River, are the country’s most important rivers. 
• Global Engagement: Nigeria recently became the 9th BRICS partner country (without membership or decision-making power), joining Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. 
  • Nigeria, Africa's largest recipient of US aid, is shifting its focus to strengthen ties with China, India, and the EU to reduce its reliance on the US.