Massad Boulos, a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump on Arab and African affairs, has downplayed claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, emphasizing that terrorism has no specific religious or ethnic target. Boulos made these remarks during an interview on Friday, after meeting with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu at the 2025 Aqaba Process Summit in Rome, Italy. The summit focuses on addressing insecurity across West Africa and the Sahel region, with leaders from Africa, the Middle East, and Europe in attendance.
Boulos stressed that terrorism affects people of all backgrounds, stating that Boko Haram and ISIS have killed more Muslims than Christians. He called for a unified and holistic approach to combating terrorism and insecurity, highlighting the importance of deeper US-Nigeria collaboration to protect civilian lives. Boulos acknowledged that Nigeria’s North Central region has experienced deadly attacks with many Christian casualties, but noted that it is not a targeted campaign against a specific group.
Nigeria is a diverse nation with various ethnicities and religions coexisting within one federation, according to Boulos. He praised recent efforts by the Tinubu administration to improve security, which are beginning to show results. The US envoy assured continued support for Nigeria’s security and counterterrorism efforts moving forward.
The 2025 Aqaba Process Summit is hosted by Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, bringing together heads of state, defense ministers, and regional stakeholders to boost international security cooperation. The high-level event aims to address insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel region, with a focus on collaboration and cooperation.
Boulos’ comments follow calls by a US lawmaker for sanctions on Nigeria over alleged Christian persecution and to designate the country a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC). However, Boulos emphasized that any loss of life is one too many, and that cooperation between the US and Nigeria is essential to putting an end to terrorism. The US and Nigeria will likely continue to work together to address security concerns and protect civilian lives, with a focus on a unified and holistic approach to combating terrorism.