US Says Nigeria Has Not Made Enough Progress on Attacks

U.S. officials said at a congressional hearing Thursday that Nigeria has not made sufficient progress in protecting Christian communities from violence, and that the United States will continue pressing for stronger security measures and accountability. Assistant Secretary of State Frank Garcia said attacks had not stopped and Nigeria’s efforts had yet to deliver the results Washington expected.

Garcia said Nigeria had taken steps to address the concerns, including hiring police, deploying forest guards and increasing arrests and prosecutions. But he said the country’s security capacity was still being developed, deployments were too slow and the measures had not yet improved safety in vulnerable communities.

The United States is providing police training and equipment, expanding information-sharing and engaging Nigerian officials on security and accountability, Garcia said. He described a U.S.-Nigeria Joint Working Group as a mechanism for monitoring commitments. The group met in Abuja in January and in Washington in August, according to Garcia’s account at the hearing.

Representative Riley Moore urged the State Department not to remove Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern...