I will be fact-checking the claim: “No genocide in northern Nigeria, says African Union chief.”
The article the original author cited to support this claim was not on the News Detective credible source list. However, I did find one with a similar headline from the New York Times. The author of this article is someone who covers international news, including wars, disasters, and crimes. The New York Times article talked about how President Trump is threatening potential military action, as well as cutting aid off, due to the West African government failing to protect Christians. President Trump made various claims on social platforms, talking about how thousands of Christians were facing targeted violence and an existential threat. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu denied these allegations. The article mentions how around 220 million people who live in Nigeria and other parts of the country have suffered violence for a long time due to extremist groups like Boko Haram. This is an Islamic terrorist group that has attacked Christians and Muslims whom they consider to be not faithful enough. It is important to note that there are also secessionists in the south and criminal groups known for kidnappings in the northwest, and other violent groups with their own motives. Extremist violence in the country affects many Christians and Muslims in several states across Nigeria. However, the military action that the US government is threatening requires assistance from the Nigerian military and government, which wouldn’t be possible if President Trump cuts off the aid that Nigeria is receiving. The New York Times article didn’t mention that the Chair of the African Commission, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, denied these claims, saying "there is no genocide in northern Nigeria,” nor did they claim that it was the Muslims who suffered first. However, the article did mention how both Muslims and Christians are being targeted. Overall, the mention of genocide was downplayed by the Nigerian President, not an African Union Chief, according to the New York Times article, unless there has been a more recent development. Therefore, this claim is true but came from a different person.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/world/africa/trump-nigeria-military.html
