By Umar Adeleye
Amid growing concerns over insecurity in Nigeria, Mr. Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor for Arabs and African Affairs at the US State, has said terrorism in the country is not driven by religion or ethnicity, stressing that groups like Boko Haram and ISIS have killed more Muslims than Christians.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), on the disinformation campaign by Senator Ted Cruz and others, alleging Christian genocide in Nigeria, Mr. Boulos condemned the rising violence, noting that terrorism has no tribe, colour, or religion.
“This is certainly unfortunate. Any loss of life is absolutely unfortunate,” he said, adding that “Those who know the terrain know that terrorism has no colour, no religion, and no tribe. We even know that Boko Haram and ISIS are killing more Muslims than Christians. This is not about one group targeting another.”
In the interview monitored by Muslim News, President Trump’s senior envoy to Africa, spoke in Rome after visiting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He called on Nigerians to unite across religious and ethnic lines to combat terrorism, saying, “We should work together and put an end to this.”
Addressing recent violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, he acknowledged the pain of affected communities but warned against framing the conflict in purely religious terms. “There are incidents in the Middle Belt, where many farmers are Christians, but we can’t say it’s specifically targeted at a particular group,” he said.
He also praised the Tinubu-led administration for its recent steps to improve national security. “The Nigerian government has taken additional measures and committed more resources to those areas. We’ve seen some improvement in recent weeks and we appreciate those efforts. We hope to see more.”
On Nigeria’s unity, he added, “Nigeria is a country where diverse religious and ethnic groups have coexisted for centuries. With an almost 50-50 split between Christians and Muslims, it’s never been a religious issue — and it should never be.”
Mr. Boulos concluded by reaffirming US support: “We appreciate what President Tinubu has done, and we will continue working together to ensure peace and stability in Nigeria.”
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