[ Today's Date ]
[ADDRESS]
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The Honorable [Insert Senator’s Name]
Dear Senator [Insert Senator's Last Name ]
DESIGNATE NIGERIA A COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN (CPC)
My name is [ YOUR NAME ……………………] I am a U.S. citizen of Nigerian descent. I live at [ YOUR ADDRESS…… …………….. ] within your constituent. I ask that you raise your voice and stand with your colleagues against the atrocious destruction of human lives by the various insurgent groups in Nigeria by urging the President and the U.S. State Department to designate Nigeria as Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
Nigeria is the biggest killing ground of Christians today. Nigeria is becoming the world's 'biggest killing ground for Christian.1 New United Nations Development Program (UNDP) data on the war in Nigeria conflict showed about 350,000 were killed by the Islamist insurgencies as of the end of 2020. This number was 10 times higher than previous estimates since the conflict started 12 years ago. 2. The report stated that should the conflict continues to 2030, more than 1.1 million people may die.2
Many Statesmen have warned that if urgent steps are not taken to arrest the violence in Nigeria, it can affect the entire African continent and Europe," particularly if the flow of refugees out of Nigeria accelerates. We don't want to look back a decade from now and regret that we allowed another Rwanda. Nigerian Christian community faces peril.3.
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In November 2021 in which US Secretary Blinken met with high-ranking government officials in Nigeria, he removed the largest African nation from Countries designated as CPC; previously so classified by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo under President Trump government. Religious freedom advocates say State Dept. pushing a 'political narrative' on Nigerian violence- 4.
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Notwithstanding that Nigeria was the first secular democracy designated as CPC list, and its removal cancels appropriate sanctions which would have been a healthy tool both to hold the Nigerian government accountable, dismantle, demobilize and destroy the capacity and capability of the effectiveness of terrorists groups and eventually secure lives and properties of millions of Nigerians.
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The U.S. Secretary of State’s decision was against the , a bipartisan recommendation of Commission on International Religious Freedom, USIRFC panel, seized with obligation of counseling the State Department and Congress about religious freedom matters.
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The USIRFC considered the Nigeria situation as and unanimously condemned the State Department decision to remove Nigeria from CPC designation. USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza summarized the USIRFC position at the time:
"USCIRF is especially displeased with the removal of Nigeria from its CPC designation, where it was rightfully placed [in 2020]," 5.
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Sam Brownback, who served as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom in the Trump administration and is the former governor of Kansas, was one of the first religious freedom advocates who condemned Nigeria's removal from the CPC list last fall.
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"USCIRF is especially displeased with the removal of Nigeria from its CPC designation, where it was rightfully placed [in 2020]," USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza said at the time.
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Recently, U.S. Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Jim Inhofe, R-Okla Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joined a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to immediately redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act. The letter follows recent acts of violence targeting Nigerian Christians that have underscored the deteriorating state of religious freedom in the country. 6.
I ask that you work with your colleagues to implore U.S. President through the State Department to hold the Nigerian government accountable by deploring all foreign policy tools, including designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
I look forward to hearing from you about these concerns.
Sincerely,
[ YOUR NAME ]
1. Nigeria is becoming the world's 'biggest killing ground for Christian.1 https://cruxnow.com/church-in-africa/2020/08/nigeria-is-becoming-worlds-biggest-killing-ground-of-christians/.
3. The Christian Science Monitor: https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2020/0316/Nigerian-Christian-community-faces-peril-White-House-is-told
4. https://www.christianpost.com/news/advocates-dispute-state-depts-political-narrative-on-nigeria.html
5. USCIRF Appalled at Administration’s Removal of Nigeria from List of Violators of Religious Freedom-https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-appalled-administrations-removal-nigeria-list-violators
6. https://www.floridadaily.com/marco-rubio-wants-nigeria-classified-as-country-of-particular-concern-as-violence-against-christians-rise/