[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 220 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 220
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need to designate
Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern for engaging in and tolerating
systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 11, 2025
Mr. Smith of New Jersey submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need to designate
Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern for engaging in and tolerating
systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, and
for other purposes.
Whereas the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-292)
mandates the designation of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) for
nations engaged in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious
violations of religious freedom;
Whereas, Nigeria appears to maintain an open border policy that enables
radicalized Fulani Ethnic Militants (FEM) and ISIS-linked extremist
groups, including Lakurawa, to enter Nigeria unimpeded from Mali, Niger,
Chad, and Burkina Faso;
Whereas, for over a decade, Islamic terror organizations have carried out mass
murder, rape, kidnappings, and other atrocities targeting mostly
Nigerian Christians and non-Fulani moderate Muslim populations,
resulting in mass displacement and destruction of places of worship, in
what appears to be a concerted effort for a Fulani-controlled empire
modeled upon the caliphate in northern Nigeria established by Usman dan
Fodio, in the late 18th and early 19th century;
Whereas, prominent Christian and Muslim leaders have been kidnapped or
assassinated, including priests, pastors, and imams who advocate for
religious tolerance;
Whereas, activists speaking out against persecution have faced threats, arrests,
and harassment from both extremist groups and government authorities;
Whereas, northern Nigeria has seen the destruction of ``over 18,000 churches
since 2009'' in attacks by Boko Haram militants, Fulani herdsmen, and
others, according to a 2023 Vatican report, and in 2021, the Department
of State reported five attacks on mosques by unidentified gunmen,
bandits, and Boko Haram;
Whereas, approximately 34,000 moderate non-Fulani Muslims also died in attacks,
since 2009, from extremist groups for opposing radical Islamic
ideologies;
Whereas, ethnic and religiously inspired violence occurring in Nigeria is
causing unspeakable suffering and the displacement of between 3.5 to 5
million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northeastern Nigeria, and
343,000 registered Nigerian refugees in the Lake Chad region;
Whereas, in 2020, the Department of State designated Nigeria a Country of
Particular Concern (CPC) pursuant to the International Religious Freedom
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.);
Whereas, in 2021, 2022, and 2023, the Department of State omitted Nigeria from
its CPC list and in 2024 did not release a CPC list or its annual
International Religious Freedom Report;
Whereas these conflicts are often framed as resource-based disputes between
herders and farmers, but the systematic targeting of Christian
communities and religious leaders points to an underlying religious
dimension, compounded by ethnicity;
Whereas, on May 22, 2024, then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified to
the House Committee on Appropriations that the killings of Christian
farmers in Nigeria ``has nothing to do with religion,'' a categorical
statement which is inconsistent with readily discernable evidence;
Whereas multiple media reports, including from BBC, CNN, and Reuters, have
highlighted religious persecution, attacks on houses of worship, and the
Government of Nigeria has been unable or unwilling to effectively
investigate and prosecute perpetrators of religiously motivated
violence, leading to a culture of impunity;
Whereas blasphemy laws have also been used to target religious minorities and
dissenters, with harsh penalties, including death sentences;
Whereas, in 12 northern States, Sharia law is implemented alongside secular law,
leading to discrimination against non-Muslims and even Muslims who do
not adhere to strict interpretations of Islamic law;
Whereas the Department of State should have a coherent policy that acknowledges
and addresses the ethnic, religious, financial, security, and political
dimensions of the staggering levels of violence and internal
displacement within Nigeria, and that the Government of Nigeria must
call upon significant foreign support to house and feed those displaced
by the violence;
Whereas the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury is responsible for tracking funds
flowing into terrorist and organized criminal organizations who pose a
threat to the national security of the United States;
Whereas the United States and Nigeria are allies and trading partners with
important, shared security interests;
Whereas, since FY2020, the United States Government has obligated more than
$3.53 billion and disbursed more than $2.24 billion in non-military
foreign assistance to, or for use in, Nigeria;
Whereas, since FY2020, the Department of Defense has obligated in excess of
$83,507,253 to provide military and security assistance to the
Government of Nigeria;
Whereas the United States foreign policy toward Nigeria should consider these
factors and justify the purposes for, and amounts of, financial
assistance provided by the United States to and in Nigeria; to identify
and justify the outcomes of that assistance; and
Whereas the designation of Nigeria as a CPC would enhance diplomatic efforts to
encourage the Nigerian government to take necessary actions to protect
religious minorities and uphold fundamental human rights: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the Sense of the House of Representatives
that--
(1) The Secretary of State should designate Nigeria as a
Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 6 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.), which mandates
the designation of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) for
nations engaged in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and
egregious violations of religious freedom;
(2) The Government of Nigeria must take immediate and
effective steps to prevent religious persecution, prosecute
perpetrators of violence, take action to care for the millions
of internally displaced persons, and uphold constitutional
protections for religious freedom;
(3) The State Department should increase U.S. diplomatic
engagement with Nigerian officials to address religious freedom
violations and develop strategies for long-term peace and
stability;
(4) The United States should impose targeted sanctions and
other measures against individuals and entities responsible for
severe violations of religious freedom in Nigeria; and
(5) The United States is committed to promoting religious
freedom and human rights as foundational principles of U.S.
foreign policy.
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