A senior African Union official has rejected allegations of genocide against Christians in northern Nigeria, prompting renewed scrutiny of Abuja’s handling of insecurity and drawing sharp responses from senior figures in Washington.

The exchange comes amid continued attacks, abductions and village raids across northern and central states that Christian organisations say have reached crisis levels. Youssouf delivered the remarks during a briefing at UN headquarters earlier this week, in response to questions about escalating violence in northern Nigeria.

AU Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf told reporters at the United Nations that “there is no genocide in northern Nigeria,” arguing that current violence should not be compared to atrocities seen in Sudan or the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He said the first victims of Boko Haram “are Muslims, not Christians,” and described the situation as “extremely complex,” cautioning international actors not to rely on simplified narratives.

Nigeria is confronting several overlapping security threats, including jihadist insurgencies, armed banditry and localised communal violence, which often complicate attempts to assign responsibility for individual attacks.  Neither the African Union nor the Nigerian government characterises the situation as genocide, a position reiterated by Youssouf in his comments at the UN.

The remarks follow repeated warnings from Washington, where some officials have accused Nigeria’s government of failing to curb killings. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Senator Ted Cruz said Nigerian officials were “waging a media campaign to escape exposure and accountability,” alleging that Abuja’s policies had created an environment in which Christians were at risk.

The White House adopted a more severe tone, with a senior official warning that if the Nigerian government “continues to allow the killing of Christians,” the United States would halt all aid and could “take action to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” The official said President Donald Trump had designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” and ordered the Department of War to prepare for potential action.

Additional pressure is building on Capitol Hill, where Representative Riley Moore said the United States should consider sanctions and “even kinetic military action” in response to what he termed the genocide of Christians in Nigeria. Moore and Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole were appointed by Trump to lead an investigation into killings by Islamist militants. The recent warnings from Washington have been driven largely by Republican lawmakers and officials in the Trump administration, who have pressed for a stronger US response to the killings.

The United Nations has taken a more cautious line. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said Nigeria faced an insurgency that had targeted Muslims, Christians and others, and that any international assistance should be delivered in cooperation with Nigerian authorities. He did not comment directly on President Trump’s warnings.