DW, the German public service broadcaster, today in the Flip Side programme dived into the controversial claims by US president Donald Trump that there is a “genocide” going on against Christians in Nigeria.
Presenter Chinaza Samuel described the crisis in Nigeria as “complex and messy”. She added that “words matter”, explaining that if the crisis was described as “insecurity”, it was an internal matter for Nigeria. But calling it “genocide” made it an international affair.
Security expert David Otto weighed in stating categorically that there was no Christian “genocide” going on in Nigeria. He acknowledged that Christians, Muslims and non-religious people were targeted by Boko Haram and the “so-called Fulani militia”. But he was adamant that the situation can’t be described as a “genocide” against any religion.
The programme stressed that the “genocide” claims were amplified by “conservative” politicians in the US and some faith-based groups.
The presenter didn’t hold back when she said “Nigeria saw this coming. Attacks had gone unpunished. Officials often downplayed the violence until now”.
Otto reminded viewers that if Trump wanted to strike at Boko Haram, he needed Nigerian government support. But the US “doesn’t care much about Nigeria or Christians”.
As if the issues were not complicated enough, China has stepped in urging respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty. This means that it could end up as a “tug-of-war between global powers”. China reportedly has several mining deals in Nigeria that it is keen to protect.
Samuel ended with a warning – “when a complex crisis is reduced to a ‘religious war’, it not only distorts the truth, but it could also invite the wrong saviour”.
Every Nigerian on all sides of the debate about foreign intervention in this crisis should have a good think about those comments.
