U.S. ‘must balance other interests’ in Nigeria, officials say as Christian persecution continues

Political officials and foreign policy analysts are calling for the Nigerian government to enhance its response to ongoing violence against Christians as U.S. troops are set to withdraw from the region at the end of September.

Following an Aug. 28 event at the Hudson Institute, officials told Erik Rosales, EWTN News Capitol Hill correspondent, that while the U.S. remains committed to shedding light on ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria, State Department officials are faced with having to weigh the greater good with responding to every attack.

“Itʼs a significant trading partner in the African context for the United States,” Josh Meservey, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Rosales.

“Itʼs the largest, itʼs the most populous country in Africa. Itʼs the largest economy,” he said. “So these things do really matter. And so as much as weʼre concerned about the violence and we, we must remain concerned, the U.S. government has to balance other interests.”

Latest numbers from advocacy groups found that more than 7,000 Christians have been killed in the first seven months of 2026 alone, while thousands more have been kidnapped.

“The situation has not really…