119-hres220

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 220 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

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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