US says violence against Christians persists in Nigeria 1 year after "Country of Particular Concern" designation

United States officials have reported that violence targeting Christian communities in Nigeria continues unabated, one year after President Donald Trump re-designated the country as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) over severe violations of religious freedom.

The assessment emerged during a congressional hearing titled "One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria's Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt," led by Republican Representative Chris Smith, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.

Smith stated that the CPC designation served as a wake-up call and an urgent demand for action to safeguard religious believers, predominantly Christians, facing brutal assaults from ethnic Fulani militias and terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa.

Testifying before the subcommittee, Riley Barnes, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the State Department, acknowledged that while Nigerian authorities have taken proactive measures to address the crisis, those efforts have yet to translate into tangible security improvements on the ground.

"We have not seen that equal or turn into actual on-the-ground greater safety and security for these Christians in the Middle Belt. There are still rising death tolls and kidnappings. So, I think we have this posture of trust but verify," Barnes explained.

Frank Garcia, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, echoed those concerns, noting that despite sustained diplomatic engagement with Nigerian officials to confront religious persecution and hold perpetrators accountable, the bloodshed has persisted.

Republican Representative Riley Moore maintained that the lack of measurable progress justifies keeping Nigeria on the CPC watchlist until stronger protective actions are demonstrated, while also calling for heightened U.S. scrutiny ahead of Nigeria's upcoming general elections.

"We cannot take this CPC designation off this country. They have not done enough. We need to be watching these (Nigeria) presidential elections like a hawk. And I’m going to be watching them," Moore stated.

Smith concluded that Congress will evaluate what additional legislative or policy measures are required to curb the violence and prevent further atrocities against Christian communities in Nigeria.