United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, has declared the recent killings of Christians in Nigeria as a “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.”
Fox News reports that Waltz made the comment on Tuesday at an event hosted by the United States Mission to the United Nations.
According to Waltz, “There is a body of evidence, and you are going to hear that from our experts today that paints a very grim picture of disproportionate suffering among Christians, where, again, families are torn apart, clergy is repeatedly assassinated, and entire congregations, church congregations.
“Folks, we have an entire faith that is being erased. One bullet at a time, one torched Bible at a time.”
Rapper Nicki Minaj, who also spoke at the event, said she wanted to speak out against injustice and stand up for people who are persecuted for their beliefs.
“In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed. Churches have been burned. Families have been torn apart and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray,” she told attendees.
The event highlighted religious violence and the killings of Christians in the most populous African nation.
American rap icon Nicki Minaj and Waltz were expected to headline a UN event this week, focusing on allegations of widespread persecution and targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria.
The engagement was being facilitated by political strategist Alex Bruesewitz, marking one of the most high-profile global interventions on Nigeria’s religious-violence crisis.
The allegation has also recently drawn international scrutiny to the issue.
Recall that US President Donald Trump had earlier designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern, further threatening military action against Nigeria.
The US President cited what he described as ongoing violence against Christians and failure of the government to protect religious minorities.
However, the Nigerian government strongly denied persecution of any religious groups in Nigeria.
