US President Donald Trump announced on Friday, October 31, that he is marking Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” after claiming that Christianity faces a threat in the West African country. The countries of particular concern are the list of nations the US finds engaged in serious violations of religious freedom. In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump said: “Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I hereby make Nigeria a “COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.” “When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered as is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 worldwide), something must be done! I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, along with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to look into this matter immediately and report back to me. ” The US president continued that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are taking place in Nigeria and countless other countries. We stand ready, willing and able to save our Great Christian population around the world!” US List of Countries of Particular Concern The list of countries of particular concern includes Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, according to the State Department website. The serious violations include “systematic, ongoing, serious violations of religious freedom,” including violations such as: (1) torture; (2) prolonged detention without charge; (3) enforced disappearance; or (4) other flagrant denial of life, liberty, or security of persons, the State Department said. The special watch list countries are Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros and Vietnam. Aside from countries, the US also has a list of entities of particular concern. These are al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel (formerly known as ISIS-Greater Sahara), ISIS-West Africa, al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, and the Taliban. (With agency input)