Senator Budd Leads Colleagues Condemning Violence Against Christians in Nigeria, Calling for Redesignation of CPC Status
π€ Bipartisan Senate Leadership
Senator Ted Budd led a coalition of Republican senators in this critical call for action:
π CPC Designation Timeline
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated Nigeria as a CPC for ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom, particularly by nonstate actors such as Boko Haram and other terrorist groups.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed Nigeria from the CPC list during the Biden administration.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that Nigeria be placed once again on the CPC list.
Senate Republicans formally request redesignation under the new Trump administration.
β οΈ Recent Violence Against Christians
At least 200 Christians brutally killed by terrorists in what represents one of the deadliest single incidents in recent memory.
Al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansaru gunmen kidnapped 160 mainly Christian children and killed eight people. The children were later released.
Bandits killed 70 Christians and kidnapped 20 students in separate attacks across the region.
Suspected bandits killed 10 farmers, including Christians, in ongoing violence against rural communities.
βοΈ Key Excerpts from Senate Letter
β Senate Letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio
πΊπΈ Trump Administration’s Religious Freedom Commitment
β President Trump, September 23, 2019
π― The Senators’ Request
The senators urge Secretary Rubio to carefully consider designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), giving the President additional authority to take specific actions to address the continued unchecked acts of violence and terrorism against religious minorities.
