African Union chief denies genocide claims against Christians as Cruz warns Nigerian officials

Nigeria’s worsening situation is nether renewed planetary scrutiny aft a apical African Union authoritative rejected claims of Christian genocide — a connection that drew crisp absorption from Washington.

The quality comes amid a yearslong question of killings, abductions and colony attacks successful bluish and cardinal Nigeria that Christian communities accidental person reached situation levels.

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO SURGE IN CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION CRISIS ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

At slightest 51 Christians were killed successful different onslaught successful Nigeria's Plateau state.  (Reuters)

Asked by a newsman astir President Donald Trump's caller threats to Nigeria implicit the persecution of Christians, the African Union Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf dismissed the genocide allegations, telling reporters astatine the United Nations that, "Let maine accidental this archetypal — determination is nary genocide successful bluish Nigeria," helium said from the U.N. office podium. Youssouf continued: "We person issued a connection making wide that what’s going connected successful the bluish portion of Nigeria has thing to bash with the benignant of atrocities we spot successful Sudan oregon successful immoderate parts of eastbound DRC."

He continued, "The archetypal victims of Boko Haram are Muslims, not Christians, and I’m saying this with documented references." Youssouf said the concern is "extremely complex," informing planetary actors not to trim it to a azygous narrative. "The complexity of the concern successful bluish Nigeria should not beryllium taken lightly, nor described with overly elemental language," helium said, stressing again, "There is nary genocide successful bluish Nigeria."

‘GENOCIDE CAN’T BE IGNORED’: GOP LAWMAKER BACKS TRUMP’S THREAT OF MILITARY ACTION IN NIGERIA

Funerals for immoderate 27 Christians who were reportedly killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen successful the colony of Bindi Ta-hoss, Nigeria. (Courtesy: Christian Solidarity International (CSI))

In a connection to Fox News Digital, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., warned astir a PR run being waged by the Abuja authorities to combat the accusations. 

"Nigerian officials cognize their policies person created an situation successful which Christians are being persecuted and slaughtered, including their enforcement of sharia instrumentality and their tolerance of Islamist violence. Instead of reversing these policies, they are waging a media run to flight vulnerability and accountability. I mean to forestall them from doing so."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee proceeding March 23, 2021. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP)

The White House besides responded successful starkly antithetic terms. A elder authoritative told Fox News Digital: "As the president stated, if the Nigerian authorities continues to let the sidesplitting of Christians, the U.S. volition instantly halt each assistance and assistance to Nigeria and whitethorn instrumentality enactment to wholly hitch retired the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities." The authoritative added that President Trump has designated Nigeria a "country of peculiar concern" and ordered the Department of Defense to hole for imaginable action.

Women and children who were held captive by muslim extremists, and rescued by the Nigerian army, are seen upon accomplishment successful Maiduguri, Nigeria, Monday, May 20, 2024. Hundreds of hostages mostly children whose mothers were held captive and forcefully joined by Islamic extremists successful northeastern Nigeria person been rescued from their cardinal wood enclave and handed implicit to authorities, the West African nation's service said precocious Monday. (AP Photo/Jossy Olatunji)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

On Capitol Hill, immoderate lawmakers are pressing for adjacent stronger measures. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., said the United States could instrumentality a scope of actions — including sanctions and "even kinetic subject action" — successful effect to what helium called the "genocide" of Christians successful Nigeria. Trump designated Moore, a subordinate of the Appropriations Committee from West Virginia, on with Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., to pb an probe into the sidesplitting of Christians by Islamist militants successful the African nation.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the U.N. secretary-general addressed the contented successful effect to a question by Fox News Digital astatine the regular property briefing astir persecution of Christians successful Nigeria — and whether the secretary-general supports President Trump’s informing that Nigeria indispensable enactment oregon look consequences. The spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said, "We judge that the Nigerian authorities has been struggling with an insurgency that has been sidesplitting people, whether Muslims, Christians oregon others, and I deliberation immoderate assistance is needed should beryllium done with the practice of the Nigerian authorities."