US President Donald Trump has praised Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for his response to violence affecting Christian communities, signalling an improvement in relations between Washington and Abuja after months of tension.
In a letter released by Nigeria’s presidency on Wednesday, Trump commended Tinubu’s “decisive leadership” and welcomed his government’s efforts to confront extremist violence.
The letter, dated July 6, said the United States stood with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism and in efforts to strengthen the country’s security and economy.
Trump’s message marks a shift from his position in November, when he accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians and threatened to suspend aid and consider possible military action.
Nigeria rejected those accusations at the time, insisting that insecurity and militant violence affected both Christian and Muslim communities across the country.
According to the Nigerian presidency, Abuja and Washington established a joint security working group last year to expand intelligence-sharing, military training and coordinated operations against armed groups.
The letter was made public days after US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia visited Abuja for talks focused on strengthening security cooperation between the two countries.