Bipartisan vote authorizes President Trump to use targeted military action against armed groups accused of killing Christian civilians in northern Nigeria.
United States Congress has overwhelmingly approved a resolution granting President Donald Trump authority to launch targeted military action against armed groups in Nigeria, marking one of Washington’s most assertive foreign-policy moves in West Africa in years.
The vote—285 in favor and 98 against—followed an emergency joint session that brought together Democrats and Republicans who described the escalating violence in northern and central Nigeria as a major humanitarian and security crisis. The resolution will become law once signed by the President, who has ten days to act.
President Trump welcomed the approval almost immediately, calling the situation in Nigeria “nothing short of genocide against Christians.” In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: “HUGE WIN! Congress just voted 285–98 to let us STOP the slaughter of innocent Christians in Nigeria. The military is ready. Very soon, justice will be done – fast and hard.”
The measure, formally titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom Protection and Counter-Terrorism Act of 2025, follows weeks of classified briefings detailing years of attacks by jihadist groups, including Boko Haram, and by armed militias accused of targeting Christian communities across the Middle Belt.
Monitoring organizations such as Open Doors have long identified Nigeria as one of the world’s deadliest places for Christians, reporting thousands of killings annually.
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Washington’s shift began in late October 2025, when the administration designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” for severe violations of religious freedom and froze more than $1 billion in annual U.S. aid pending “tangible improvement.” Earlier this month, the Pentagon was also instructed to draw up contingency plans for “rapid and decisive” military options.
While U.S. evangelical groups and human-rights advocates have praised the congressional vote as overdue, reactions abroad have been sharply divided. Several African and European governments warned that unilateral American action could destabilize West Africa, where governments already face cross-border insurgencies and fragile political systems.
In Abuja, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the Congressional decision as “a regrettable overreach,” insisting that the security crisis affects “Nigerians of all faiths” and remains an internal issue. Nigerian officials have repeatedly asked foreign governments to support counter-terrorism efforts through training, intelligence and development aid rather than direct military intervention.
If President Trump signs the resolution, U.S. operations could begin within days. Analysts expect any action to consist of precision airstrikes and limited special-forces missions rather than a large-scale deployment.
For many Nigerian Christians who have endured years of violence, the vote in Washington has been greeted as a rare sign of international resolve. For the White House, it represents a defining moment in its pledge that the United States will no longer remain passive when vulnerable communities face mass atrocities.
