Earth Science News
AFRICA NEWS
US delivers 'critical military supplies' to Nigeria after Xmas strikes

US delivers 'critical military supplies' to Nigeria after Xmas strikes

by AFP Staff Writers
Lagos (AFP) Jan 13, 2026

The United States on Tuesday said it had delivered "critical military supplies" to Nigeria after staging Christmas Day strikes targeting militants in the restive northwest.

The delivery is the latest sign of increased security cooperation between Washington and Abuja, and also comes as Nigeria's national security adviser struck a $750,000-per-month deal with a US firm to lobby President Donald Trump's administration.

On the evening of December 25, the United States struck sites in Sokoto state in what Nigeria called a "joint" operation on targets linked to the Islamic State group.

"This delivery supports Nigeria's ongoing operations and emphasizes our shared security partnership," US Africa Command said on X, without giving details.

The December bombardments marked a turnaround after ties plummeted late last year when Trump said violence in Nigeria amounted to the "persecution" and "genocide" of Christians.

The Nigerian government and independent analysts reject that framing, long used by the US and European religious right.

Africa's most populous country, roughly split between a mostly Muslim north and mostly Christian south, faces myriad and sometimes overlapping armed conflicts, including a jihadist insurgency raging since 2009.

Separatists in the southeast, who have long maintained a lobbying presence in Washington, have also used the "Christian genocide" narrative.

- Lobbying effort -

According to new disclosure forms filed with the US Department of Justice, viewed by AFP on Tuesday, Abuja has also entered into the lobbying fray.

Security chief Nuhu Ribadu hired US lobbying firm DCI Group in mid-December to help Abuja communicate "its actions to protect... Christian communities and (maintain) US support in countering west African jihadist groups and other destabilising elements".

Days before the US strikes, Nigeria's information minister said the "spat" with Washington had been resolved, "culminating in a strengthened partnership between America and Nigeria".

Last week, a Nigerian source familiar with the post-strike security arrangement told AFP the Nigerian air force would take the lead in future strikes, with the United States supplying intelligence from reconnaissance flights.

Abuja remains open to future US strikes, the source said.

While the strikes marked an improvement from Trump's earlier threats of unilateral military intervention, they caused headaches in Abuja when the US leader took complete credit for them.

Adding to the uncertainty around Nigeria-US relations, Trump recently told The New York Times: "I'd love to make it a one-time strike. But if they continue to kill Christians it will be a many-time strike."

Nigeria remains labelled a "country of particular concern", a State Department designation over alleged religious freedom violations.

The Nigerian government said the strikes targeted Islamic State group fighters, members of the Lakurawa jihadist group and "bandit" gangs, though it is unknown how many were killed, and from which groups.

However, local and international journalists have only been able to confirm damage to farmland and civilian buildings as well as injuries among civilians.

fvl/nro/sn/ach/cc

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
Somalia cancels all UAE deals after Somaliland, Yemeni spats
Mogadishu (AFP) Jan 12, 2026
Somalia cancelled all agreements with the United Arab Emirates on Monday amid tensions over Israel's recognition of Somaliland and reports the Emiratis used Somali territory to help a Yemeni separatist flee his country. "Having carefully assessed recent developments and exercising its constitutional authority, the Council of Ministers has annulled all agreements concluded with the United Arab Emirates... including bilateral security and defense cooperation agreements," the Somali government said in ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
'Are You Dead?': Chinese app for solo dwellers goes viral

Sri Lanka seeks Chinese aid to rebuild after deadly cyclone

Japan nuclear plant operator may have underestimated quake risks

'I can't walk anymore': Afghans freeze to death on route to Iran

AFRICA NEWS
Planet delivers first light image from Pelican 6 satellite capturing Lhasa Gonggar Airport

New tool narrows the search for ideal material structures

Chlorine and hydrogen from waste brines without external power

Fast FPGA pulse shaping clears neutron gamma pile ups in nuclear detectors

AFRICA NEWS
Experts say oceans soaked up record heat levels in 2025

ENSO drives synchronized shifts in global water extremes

Japan aims to dig deep-sea rare earths to reduce China dependence

Ankara city hall says water cuts due to 'record drought'

AFRICA NEWS
NATO says working on 'next steps' to boost Arctic security

Oligocene deep ocean temperatures drove isotope swings in Antarctic climate record

Is China a threat to Greenland as Trump argues?

Sentinel 1 decade long radar record tracks shifting Greenland and Antarctic ice

AFRICA NEWS
Ticking time bomb: Some farmers report as many as 70 tick encounters over a 6-month period

Black carbon from straw burning limits antibiotic resistance in plastic mulched fields

Drone phenomics sharpen genetic signals and automate field trait extraction in maize and peanut breeding

Australia 'disappointed' with China's beef tariffs

AFRICA NEWS
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano puts on spectacular lava display

Hunga eruption reshaped stratospheric water and ozone with limited climate cooling

Albanian floods turn deadly as downpours force more evacuations

6.4 quake strikes off southern Philippines; No major damage from Japan thumper

AFRICA NEWS
Sudan paramilitary strike on southeastern city kills 27

US delivers 'critical military supplies' to Nigeria after Xmas strikes

Somalia cancels all UAE deals after Somaliland, Yemeni spats

African Union reaffirms 'One China' policy in FM visit

AFRICA NEWS
Moroccan fossils trace ancient African branch near origin of Homo sapiens

Socializing alone: The downside of communication technology

Chinese villagers win battle against forced cremation after protests

Climate driven model explores Neanderthal and modern human overlap in Iberia

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.