On 6 July 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution strongly condemning the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria, with a focus on the 21 June 2026 attack by armed Fulani Islamists in Kawel village, Plateau State, which killed at least 23 Christians, including a local pastor, and targeted church leaders and a clinic. The resolution, tabled by Tomasz Froelich, Petr Bystron, and Marc Jongen on behalf of the ESN Group, calls on the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to prioritise security sector support to Nigeria within EU-Africa partnerships, framing it as a matter of European security and migration prevention.
The resolution notes that the Kawel massacre is part of a documented pattern of escalating violence against Christians in Nigeria's Middle Belt, with more Christians killed for their faith in Nigeria than any other country, according to Open Doors' 2026 World Watch List. It also references a 8 June 2026 warning by UN Special Rapporteurs that Christian women and girls in northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt face systematic killing, abduction, sexual assault, forced conversion, and child marriage, with Nigerian authorities failing to act. The Parliament demands that Nigeria mobilise resources to address corruption, strengthen police and justice systems, and reform security architecture to combat Islamist terrorist groups.
The resolution is a declaration of concern without binding EU measures, scoring low on news value as it does not introduce new EU policy or legislative action. It primarily serves as a diplomatic signal to Nigeria and the EU institutions, urging concrete action against impunity and violence targeting Christians.