Kinshasa, February 11th, 2026 (CPA).- The Nigerian army spokesman has announced on Wednesday the deployment of 200 American soldiers to train the army in its fight against jihadist groups, while Washington strengthens its military cooperation with Abuja, have reported the international media. ‘We will have American troops to help in training and technical support,’ has declared General Samaila Uba, spokesman for the Nigerian army.
‘The 200 additional soldiers, expected in the coming weeks, will be responsible to train and to accompany their Nigerian counterparts to enable them to better coordinate operations combining air strikes and ground troops,’ he has added. This deployment comes as Washington has been exerting diplomatic pressure on Abuja for several months over violence that US President Donald Trump has described as ‘genocide’ and ‘persecution’ of Christians. These allegations are rejected by the Nigerian government and most experts, who emphasise that the attacks indiscriminately affect both Muslim and Christian civilians.
These pressures have not prevented the two countries from strengthening their military cooperation. American strikes on Christmas Day had targeted jihadist fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group, killing several people in Sokoto State. The Nigerian army had later explained that it would rely on American intelligence to carry out its own air strikes. The Africa’s most populous country has been fighting a jihadist insurgency since 2009, mainly concentrated in the north-east, while armed gangs known locally as ‘bandits’ have established themselves in large rural areas in the north-west and north-central regions.