Abuja, 09 December, 2022 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).
Nigeria is one of the countries that the United States (U.S.) State Department has struck out of its Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list, a move that has angered the human rights foundation, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
CSW finds it necessary that the West African country remains on the list, considering ongoing violations of rights, especially in the northern parts of the country, where Christians are said to be living under severe stress, and in the other parts where armed Fulani herdsmen are killing farmers almost daily in what has been described as “a gathering storm”.
In a Monday, December 5 December 5 report, the human rights foundation expresses disappointment with the U.S. statement department for omitting Nigeria, and several other countries, from its CPC list despite the situation of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in the countries remaining “under serious threat”.
“CSW is disappointed at the United States (US) State Department’s decision to omit India, Nigeria, and several other states in which the situation of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) remains under serious threat from its Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list,” the foundation laments.
CSW adds that under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, the U.S. State Department is required to review the situation of FoRB in every country around the world, and designate those in which the government has engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom” as CPCs.
