After months of warning that the United States could take military action to stop violence against Christians in Nigeria, President Donald Trump announced on Christmas Day that he had done just that, attacking Islamic State terrorists in the country’s northwest.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the two countries had coordinated on the attack, and one presidential aide said the United States and Nigeria were “on the same footing in the fight against terrorism.”
Details are still unclear about the attack, which came after President Trump threatened to cut aid to Nigeria over violence against Christians and called on the defense secretary in November to “prepare for possible action” against Africa’s most populous country.
But the reality on the ground is more nuanced than President Trump’s characteristics suggest, experts and analysts told CNN this year. Christians and Muslims, the two largest religious groups in the country of more than 230 million people, have both been victims of attacks by Islamic extremists.
Here’s what you need to know:
Nigeria has long grappled with deep-seated security challenges caused by a variety of factors, including religiously motivated attacks.
The country has roughly equal numbers of Christians, mainly concentrated in the south, and Muslims, mainly concentrated in the north.
In 2012, the Islamist group Boko Haram issued an ultimatum, telling Christians in the north to leave while calling on Muslims in the south to “return” to the north. Most targeted killings in recent years have occurred in the north.
In addition to Boko Haram, there is also a lesser-known group known as Laklawa, which is prominent in the northwestern state and may have been targeted in Thursday’s attack, security analysts said. According to Reuters, the Laclawa group has become increasingly dangerous this year, often targeting remote communities and security forces, often hiding in interstate forests.
Observers say other violent conflicts stem from communal and ethnic tensions, as well as conflicts between farmers and pastoralists over limited access to land and water.
Yes, but that’s only part of the picture.
John Joseph Hayabu, a pastor who heads the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the northern region of Nigeria, agrees with President Trump’s assertion of a “systematic killing of Christians” in the region.
He said the scale of killings has decreased over the past two years. However, this year a series of large-scale attacks have occurred in Christian-majority areas in the north, drawing international attention and condemnation.
In April, an armed group believed to be Muslim nomads killed at least 40 people in a predominantly Christian farming village. Two months later, more than 100 people were massacred in Yerwata, a predominantly Christian community in southeastern Benue state, according to Amnesty International.
The killing occurred among some on the Christian evangelical right in the United States. In August, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz introduced a bill calling for sanctions against Nigeria for alleged religious freedom violations.
Muslims are also victims of targeted attacks by Islamist groups seeking to impose extreme interpretations of Islamic law.
In August, gunmen attacked a mosque in northwestern Katsina state, killing at least 50 worshipers, and Boko Haram and other armed groups have carried out numerous similar brutal attacks on Muslim communities in the north.
“Yes, these (extremist) groups have sadly killed many Christians, but they have also massacred tens of thousands of Muslims,” said Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian human rights defender specializing in security and development.
He added that because these extremist groups operate in Muslim-majority countries, attacks in public places disproportionately harm Muslims.
The little data that exists does not support President Trump’s claims that Christians are being unfairly targeted.
According to the crisis monitoring group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, of the more than 20,400 civilians killed in attacks from January 2020 to September 2025, 317 were killed in attacks targeting Christians and 417 in attacks targeting Muslims.
This organization did not include the religious affiliation of the majority of the civilians killed.
In November, President Trump designated Nigeria as a “Country of Special Concern” under the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act, indicating that the administration found the country to be involved in or condoning “systematic and sustained (and) egregious violations of religious freedom.”
But the Nigerian government rejected claims it was not doing enough to protect Christians from violence. At the time, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu said: “The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect the reality of our country.”
However, multiple experts and analysts told CNN that they believe the government needs to better protect all citizens, as people are affected by the mass killings, regardless of their religion or background.
Tinubu has yet to comment publicly on Thursday’s strike, but he had shared a Christmas message on social media earlier in the day.
“I am committed to doing all I can to protect religious freedom in Nigeria and protect Christians, Muslims, and all Nigerians from violence,” he wrote.
