The African Union (AU) has dismissed claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that Christians are facing genocide in northern Nigeria, describing the situation as complex but not genocidal.
Speaking at a press conference in New York on Wednesday, AU Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said the Union had found no evidence of genocide in Nigeria’s north, contrary to Trump’s assertion that radical Islamists were carrying out mass killings of Christians.
“There is no genocide in northern Nigeria,” Youssouf stated firmly. “The complexity of the situation in northern Nigeria should push us to think twice before making such statements.”
Trump had earlier accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians, alleging that “radical Islamists” were killing them in large numbers and warning that the United States could launch a swift military intervention if the violence continued.
However, Youssouf countered the claim, explaining that victims of jihadist attacks in northern Nigeria include both Christians and Muslims. “The first victims of Boko Haram, the most prominent jihadist group in the region, are Muslims, not Christians,” he said.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with about 230 million people, is roughly divided between a predominantly Muslim north and a Christian-majority south. The nation has battled multiple insurgencies and communal clashes for over a decade, many of which have claimed tens of thousands of lives.
According to United Nations data, the Boko Haram insurgency alone has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced over two million since it began in 2009.
Youssouf urged global leaders to approach Nigeria’s security crisis with greater nuance and cooperation rather than inflammatory rhetoric, warning that oversimplified statements could further inflame tensions in an already fragile region.
